Urban Seed Library and
Community Gardens
Created using Auto Cad, Revit, Procreate and Photoshop
(Presentation not to scale)
Concept
Location
Client Brief
Urban Seed Library and Community Garden takes all of its design inspiration from organic elements. The space is meant to be rustic and uncomplicated, and aims to connect the user with nature; something that can be hard to do in a large city like Seattle. The building has been created in the hopes that walking through its front doors will give the user the feeling of being a child again by getting messy, having fun and socializing. The color of golden sunlight will be employed in the space through subtle details, while the brown color of earth will be a prominent color as well. Design principles such as balance and repetition will be obvious throughout the space in order to mimic nature, while simple lines and texture will add visual interest. Overall, the design will nourish its users and provide an environment which promotes social and environmental sustainability, as well as mental wellness, collaboration and innovation.
Urban seed library and community gardens is located in Seattle Washington in the United States. More specifically, the beacon hill neighborhood. Seattle has been deemed one of the top 3 cities in the United States for food insecurity. Approximately 13% of single adults and 51% of low-income families with young children are experiencing food insecurity within this city. Consistent patterns have arisen when analyzing survey results from Seattleites depicting that people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, a person of color, or someone who has a lower income or is less educated are more likely to experience food insecurity within the city. Healthy food is less available and more expensive in certain areas of the city creating an uneven distribution of resources to the city’s communities. Certain areas in Seattle have access to healthy food much easier than others. These areas include the Northern parts of Seattle, (neighborhoods such as Freemont, Sunset Hill, Northgate and others; all upper-class neighborhoods.) Healthy food priority areas there for include places such as beacon hill, Evansville, Georgetown, and south park. (All more low income areas.) I chose the beacon hill area as the site for Urban seed library due to the fact that it is a neighborhood directly affected by food insecurity and is only 15 minutes from downtown Seattle. This makes it easily accessible to most people by car, foot, or public transit. It is also only 13 minutes from Georgetown, 20 minutes from Evansville, and 15 minutes from south park. This makes Beacon hill the perfect central location. Beacon Hill is described as an up and coming neighborhood when it comes to boutiques and restaurants, although it only has 1 small grocery store for the entire community.
The client profile for Urban Seed library and community gardens are adults aged 18 and up who are looking to broaden their knowledge of food literacy and learn important skills when it comes to agriculture. The design will be inclusive of all people who are passionate about social and environmental sustainability. The space will offer access to seeds, books, computers, cooking classes and community gardens to anyone who may need it. The space will offer minimal parking for those who are arriving by car, but numerous bike racks and pathways to allow easy accessibility to those arriving by public transit, bike or foot, all in order to encourage sustainability. Urban will be accessible to those of all physical abilities, and will also be inclusive of people of any race, gender, sexual orientation and class.
Floorplan
RCP
Elevations
Front Desk Perspective
Seed Sprouting Perspective
Materials
As the user walks into the front door they are greeted by the front desk and waiting area. This space has an accessible front desk and is adjacent to the staff only area with a printer/copy room, kitchen, small office and a washroom; as well as a small meeting room. The space is laid out with the rooms being on the north and south walls while the center is used for circulation as well as seating. The borrowing space is open and lined with windows to allow for a connection with nature. Other spaces within this building include a classroom for learning about food literacy, a teaching kitchen for learning how to make your own meals, a universal and accessible washroom, an open collaboration space, a seed sprouting space and an outdoor area for growing plants.
These elevations depict how different areas have been designed. A beige textured plaster has been used on each wall, and custom millwork components have also been employed.
This depicts the seed sprouting and collaboration areas at the back of the building. A community style table with computers has been included to allow access to information on the internet, and a custom terrazzo counter adds additional seating. The seed sprouting area has been encased in glass to allow the proper conditions for plants to grow and it allows natural light to be used all throughout the space. This space also has a view of the outdoor patio area.
The RCP depicts all of the ceiling types and fixtures used throughout the space. The Ceiling slopes from 9' on the north side of the building to 12' on the south side of the building. Less important spaces were placed on the north side to allow for more important spaces like the classroom and kitchen to have 12' ceilings. The public space has a gypsum wallboard ceiling which has been painted a charcoal grey to make the space feel more intimate. Staff area ceilings have been finished with a T-bar ceiling to save cost. In the kitchen and classroom a wood strip ceiling detail has been used to create interest and add more natural elements into the space. A mixture of track lighting, recessed fixtures and pendants have been used for convenience and interest.
This is a perspective of the front desk, which is the first thing users will see when walking into the space. This gives the viewer a better idea of how the space will feel. A wood strip detail has been used behind the custom curved reception desk. The viewer is able to see all of the way to the back of the building from this point which allows for there to be a continued connection to nature and helps with wayfinding.