Download - The Kitchen & The Dining Table | No. 2
by
Nicholas Ter Meer
A thesis presented to the Wentworth
Institute of Technology in fulfillment of
the thesis requirement for the degree of
Masters of Architecture
Boston, Massachusetts, USA 2012
THE KITCHEN & THE DINING TABLE
I hereby declare that I am the sole
author of this thesis. This is a true copy
of the thesis, including any required final
revisions, as excepted by my examiners.
I understand that these writings may be
made to the public.
All images and writings by Nicholas Ter Meer
Cities have changed the way that we live. The
way that we connect with one another; the way
that we engage with neighbors; the way that
we identify ourselves with strangers around us.
The people who surround us create a culture
that we associate ourselves with, so if we can
connect the culture with the subculture, we
can create a different kind of culture within an
urban context.
Nationwide, homelessness has been on the rise
and this is deeply affecting our communities.
There is a disconnect that takes place within a
community where there should be collaboration
and respect for one another. THE KITCHEN
& THE DINING TABLE explores the
ideas of the architect as a civic-engager as well
as designer to provide a connection between
the homeless and homeful by way of food,
allowing there to be an exchange of personal
engagement and investment.
My primary advisor, Dan Hisel
and other advisors Quilian
Riano and Jacob Mathews for
their guidance and support
throughout this process.
All of my classmates at the end
of the hallway.
And my family.
This is an exploration of the social interaction between homeless and homeful around a dining table. The proposed organization is a non-profit or NGO with four functions. There is Housing, The Garden, The Kitchen and The Dining Table. The Garden is tended by the community then cropped by the rehomed residents of the site. Community members tend the garden for membership purposes. The Kitchen is where rehomed residents learn the art of cooking while preparing crops from the garden. The Dining Table is where both homeless and homeful come together to engage in personal investment and share commonalities. The Housing is located above the
This is an exploration of the social interaction between homeless and homeful around a dining table. The proposed organization is a non-profit or NGO with four functions. There is Housing, The Garden, The Kitchen and The Dining Table. The Garden is tended by the community then cropped by the rehomed residents of the site. Community members tend the garden for membership purposes. The Kitchen is where rehomed residents learn the art of cooking while preparing crops from the garden. The Dining Table is where both homeless and homeful come together to engage in personal investment and share commonalities. The Housing is located above the restaurant and is the place where healing, therapy and sleeping take place.
15THE RESEARCH
The Problem
17
Objectives
19
Definitions
21
RESEARCH ESSAY
23
THE OVERLAP
26
39METHODOLOGY
CONVERSATIONS WITH DAVE
41
Mapping
44
Big Picture
57
Be
101
RESULTS
111
113INDEX
About
117
DATUM LINE
73
The Table
74
59DESIGN
Methods
61
On Food
62
PROGRAM
66
DRAWINGS
84
Walk
76
17
Looking at the neighborhood of Alphabet City, NYC, we can see
that there is a very dynamic culture that exists within forty-
four blocks on the lower east side of Manhattan. Nestled in a
nook unreachable by the subway, this neighborhood has taken
on a culture that is different than anywhere else on the island.
The neighborhood as responded with overhauls of vacant land
in order to create community gardens.
This community also harbors a large population of homeless in
their parks and are, for the most part, tolerable of the homeless
living on their doorsteps.
If we critically view the community gardens we can see that
they do not fully function for the community as a whole, but
operate as escape for privileged members. If we can look
at what the garden means for people in the various social
spectrum we can see that food is the necessity for everyone
residing in the community. Therefore if we can gather all
people in one location, we can create opportunities for growth
and stability within the community while aiding the homeless
and feeding the neighborhood with local food.
19
Establish an understanding of the communal role of the architect
Define and reinterpret the underclass community
Decipher the causes to becoming underclassed
Create a table for various aspects of a community to gather
21
CIVIC-ENGAGER
The Act Of Taking Responsibility Of A Communal Role In Order
To Provide For The People Around
HOMEFUL
One having steady shelter
THE KITCHEN
The site where the mixing of spices and foods becomes the place
for the mixing of peoples
THE DINING TABLE
The location where the sharing of food becomes the place for
understanding the significance of each individual
UNDERCLASS
An inadequate experience of connectedness with family or a
communal support group
THE RESEARCH
23
The main focus of this study is to understand how a community of homeless exists within a society, which they are separated from, and attempt to merge the two societies. All too often, there is a patch, or band-aid, that is put on a community of homeless where there needs to be a platform for them to become engaged in their surrounding community. Homelessness is an inadequate experience of connectedness with family or a community. Therefore, the major question is, How can architecture create a table to bring together a community of homeless and homeful centered around communal gardening and eating? There are many segments of society where there are underserved persons in need of design and more importantly, architecture and basic shelter. Authors such as Bryan Bell, John Cary and Kate Stohr identify various instances in society that are in need of architecture and shelter more than others. Both the work of Estudio Teddy Cruz and Recetas Urbanas are examples of practices seeking to recognize neglected sectors of society by building in various, and often peculiar, locations for the underclass. In recent years, there has been and increase in attempts to tackle the issue of social-change architecture through humanitarian and pro-bono design. The greatest humanitarian challenge of today is providing shelter. Disaster relief, on a global scale, is often a place where design is established in order to generate immediate shelters for those in need. Design Like You Give A Damn: Architecture Responses to Humanitarian Crises by Kate Stohr of Architecture for Humanity highlights many design projects that grow out of a response to a specific social, and global, crisis. Pro bono design is a professional form for design firms to provide for underclass citizens and organizations. Titles like Expanding Architecture: Design as Activism by Bryan Bell and The Power of Pro Bono by John Cary showcase designers who have intentionally sought out the underclass to provide design on various scales. Books such as Good Deeds, Good Design: Community Service Through Architecture as well as the writings and work of Samuel Mockbee touch on the notion of architect being a civic-engager and the obligation of the architect as a communal role to provide for the immediate surrounding society. Emergency shelter, or disaster relief, is often a place where design is implemented. Design Like You Give a Damn offers a history of the movement toward socially conscious design, and showcases more than 80 contemporary solutions to such urgent needs as basic shelter, healthcare, education and access to clean water, energy and sanitation.
These projects are intended to enhance the global scale and establish a baseline for humanitarian design. Pro Bono designs, as featured in The Power of Pro Bono, varies in scale from large scale projects as the Greater Boston Food Bank by Chan Krieger Sieniewicz to small-scale projects such as LifeStraw by Vestergaard-Frandsen. On an personal scale, Samuel Mockbee and the Rural Studio have established a mission statement to enable students to put their educational values to work as citizens of a community. Samuel Mockbee writes,
“If architecture is going to nudge, cajole, and inspire a community to challenge the status quo into making responsible
changes, it will take the subversive leadership of academics and practitioners
who keep reminding students of the profession’s responsibilities.”
His work reflects the communal role of the architect and the responsibly of the designer. Architecture acts as a response to social conditions on a global, professional, and personal scale. Architects are desperately needed in places where they can least be afforded. In Change By Design by IDEO’s Tim Brown, argues that good design does not need to cost more. Design is not only about the beauty of an object, but about the functionality and problems that it solves. The best designers match necessity to utility, constraint to possibility, and need to demand. Sam Davis, in Designing For The Homeless: Architecture That Works, presents a new perspective for underclass design, considering the personal concerns and social costs of homelessness, and organizational and design issues. Davis explores the issues of community fit and site planning, building design and organization, and interior layout, suggesting how to weigh costs and optimize expenditures. Architecture For The Poor:
paraSITE by Michael Rakowitz
THE KITCHEN & THE DINING TABLE
24
An Experiment in Rural Egypt by Hassan Fathy argues that architecture can be beautiful as serving its main purpose of shelter. Fathy’s experiment describes plans to build a village in Egypt without the use of modern technology or expensive materials to exemplify that money is not the deciding factor in design. Architecture, as shelter, does not need to have a high monetary value and has the ability to carry a significant role in society. Homelessness has continued to be a concern of social service providers, government officials, and policy professionals since its resurgence among many types of individuals and families. In the United States alone, the government has determined that there are 643,067 sheltered homeless as of January 2009. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, there were roughly 1.56 million people who used emergency shelter or transitional housing in 2009. Estimated 3.5 million people experience homelessness in America per year [1]. Forty percent of homeless are families with children; the fastest growing segment. Forty-one percent of homeless are males. Although homelessness has dropped in recent years, the United States Conference of Mayors claims that the main cause for homelessness in their cities is lack of affordable housing [2]. There are four primary causes for homelessness in America: mental illness, high cost of housing, failed social services, and substance abuse. These issues often create an individual who lacks a fixed or regular lifestyle. As a result of the deinstitutionalization movement from the 1950s, the mentally ill were released in order to form a ‘community-based’ treatment rather than a commitment in institutions. Approximately 22 percent of the homeless population is considered to have severe mental illnesses or disabilities. Due to the fact that these individuals have difficulties sustaining a job, they are forced on the streets because of the high cost of living [3]. The cost of housing and living in the U.S. has increased tremendously in recent years; wages are not sufficient causing a large number of individuals to live on the streets. Gentrification and redevelopment in low-income neighborhoods creates a shortage of affordable housing intended for low-income families, elderly, and the disabled. Although 44 percent of homeless report having worked in the recent past, half of the population receives less than $300 per month as income. This has resulted in nearly two-thirds the population panhandling on street corners or prostituting themselves for wages
[4]. The foster care system has also been a cause to many homeless. When released from the foster care system at the age of 18, many children are not suited for life on their own as an adult. Often, they find themselves with inadequate support networks, resulting in homelessness. Thirty-eight percent of the homeless population living on the streets do not have a high school diploma, which is a product of an
unstable support system [4]. Lastly, substance abuse is a major cause of homelessness in the United States. Roughly 30 percent of homeless suffer from substance abuse problems that often lead to chronic homelessness [5]. Ten percent of the homeless population are considered ‘chronic’ and remain without housing for extended periods of time on a frequent basis. This group typically struggles with substance abuse, mental illness, or both. The lack of services to keep these individuals away from their substance is a reason for these people living on the streets. Families across America are utilizing homeless shelters in record numbers. New York City, New York is no exception. Homelessness has declined 15 percent since 2010, according to the New York City Department of Homeless Services. Every year more than 100,000 New Yorkers experience homelessness. Every night, more than 38,000 individuals sleep on a bed in the New York City shelter system. Roughly one-in-twenty New York City residents have experienced homelessness. The nearly 3,000 soup kitchens and pantries in New York serve almost 2 million individuals annually. They will serve 60 million meals this year and avert 2,500 people each day [6]. The estimated total of unsheltered individuals in New York City in the year 2011 is 2,648. Manhattan is home to most of these homeless with an estimated 800 individuals
[7]. After the Tompkins Square Riot of 1874, this park was a symbolic place in the New York labor movement. In the summer of 1988 a group of young people, drug pushers, and homeless, took over the Tompkins Square Park located in the Alphabet City sector of Manhattan, New York. The community was uncooperative of the lack of curfew in the park and began community organizations to discuss what actions should be taken. In late June 1988, the Community Board 3 concluded that a 1am curfew would be instated. On July 11th, police began evicting citizens who refused to abide by the new curfew [8]. This curfew led to a protest campaigning to take the park back for the public use, whether or not it was a de facto homeless shelter. A New York Times article published on August 25, 1988 reads:
“Releasing a detailed final report on the Aug. 6 melee, the Commissioner, Benjamin
Ward, expanded on his preliminary evaluation of two weeks ago, saying
the police actions that night were ‘’not well planned, staffed, supervised or
executed’’ and had resulted in unnecessary confrontations which culminated in a
riot.”
The neighborhood has a surprising turn of events. They began to rally in unison against police brutality. ‘’The police, by acting in the brutal fashion that they did, managed to
THE RESEARCH
25
link a small group of crazies to the legitimate sentiments of opposition to gentrification,’’ said Valerie Oselli in an interview published in the New York Times on August 13, 1988. “ Now the issue has become police brutality, not housing. It’s set everyone back.” [9]
Rethinking Urban Design for a Changing Public Life by Patricia Simones Aelbrecht is a study of the conceptualization of public space and public life. The public sector has always been associated with collective participation and socialization in relation to how people live amongst strangers. This study identifies special, social and experimental conditions that are conducive to social interactions between all types of people creating the fabric of social life. The study shows that society needs to rethink and adapt urban design practices to an increasing changing public life. In Adam Gopnik’s The Table Comes First: Family, France, and the Meaning of Food, Gopnik attempts to understand the meaning of the table and the significance of sharing food amongst strangers. He states that food has lost it’s meaning in society and that moreover society has lost sight of the importance of dining communally at a table. He writes,
“Having made food a more fashionable object, we have ended by making eating a smaller subject. When ‘gastronomy’ was on the margins of attention it seemed big because it was an unexpected way to get at everything -- the nature of hunger; the
meaning of appetite; the patterns and traces of desire; tradition, in the way that
recipes are passed mother to son; and history, in the way that spices mix and, in
mixing, mix peoples.”
Generating a setting of a table is the most difficult aspect.
Gopnik concludes that food becomes less important and intimate the more it is made to matter. The more that we focus on the food and the surroundings, the more we forget the cultural significance of the table. Throughout the world, there are outreaches for the underclass that aim to feed and house these individuals. Organizations like Food Bank and various city Missions make a consistent effort to provide for the needs of the underclass. Many of these are religious organizations committed to creating a catalyst that gives youth the character and capacity to connect with the underclass, making a difference in society. Sharing food has always held a position in our society as a place to share and relate to one another. Food is a necessity of life and hunger is what makes us all human. The act of breaking bread has been a part of human society since the beginning of time and, somehow, lost its significance. The goal of this research is to fully comprehend the significance of human interaction and investment in unifying a community of homeless and homeful through the act of eating.
[1] HUD 5th Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress,
June 2010
[2] United States Conference of Mayors, “A Status Report on Hunger
and Homelessness in America’s Cities: a 27-city survey”, December 2001
[3] Vanneman, Reeve, “Main Causes of Homelessness”, University of
Maryland
[4] Urban Institute: Homelessness: Programs and the People They
Serve
[5] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: Who
ishomeless?
[6] Youth Service Opportunity Project Statistics. www.ysop.org/
statistics
[7] New Yorck City Department of Homeless Services, The HOPE 2011
Survey.
[8] Purdum, Todd (August 14, 1988). “Melee in Tompkins Sq. Park:
Violence and Its Provocation”. The New York Times: p. A1.
[9] “A Playground ‘Derelicts’ Can’t Enter,” by Todd Purdum, The
New York Times, August 20, 1988, Section 1; Page 31, Column 2; Metropolitan Desk
Tompkins Square Riots, 1988 courtesy of nycgovparks.org
THE KITCHEN & THE DINING TABLE
26
Exploring the over lapping of images with a monochromatic scheme and a colored background, I was able to portray two very different images in one image.
THE OVERLAP
30
Continuing with the concept of overlapping images to abstract them both, I began to play with the 3D effect.
The image seems to be one dimension but after using 3D glasses, the image changes drastically.
* 3D glasses needed to view full image capabilities
THE OVERLAP
THE KITCHEN & THE DINING TABLE
34
Diagramming the formation of the research conducted as well as where the information fits in with the thesis.
37
How can a table bring together a community of homeless and homeful focused on communal
gardening and eating?
Dave Merritt, or better known as Red, is a resident
of Los Angeles, California and has been in and out
of homelessness for more than 15 years. Red was
more than willing to cooperate with the interviews
and was incredibly helpful during the research of
underclassed peoples.
This is a record of conducted interviews.
METHODOLOGY
41
As I begin to chat with Dave Merritt, or Red, he explains to me about his personal history with homelessness. He has been on and off the streets for years now, trying to figure out ways to just make a buck in order to pay for the minimum essentials of living. Now living in North Hollywood, Red has to work in order to please his parole officer and has had a tough time keeping a job. Red claims that his issues began to grow as a young child. In a home with a father who was a violent alcoholic and a mother who was a drug user and alcoholic, he was forced to grow up at a very young age and raise his two younger brothers. His mother’s drug addiction grew and grew until Red and his younger brothers were taken by the State of California and put into the foster care system. Being separated from his younger siblings, Red battled many different kinds of foster homes, group homes, and holding facilities until, finally, he was given to his grandparents. Because of the complete lack of structure and, weak foundation and an overall unfit environment, he picked up the guitar and began to express himself through music. He realized that he had a natural talent for the guitar and began surrounding himself with other musicians. These other musicians acknowledged his talents and began to encourage him to join a band and tour the local Hollywood scene. He soon joined a band and began doing just that; touring and becoming well known in the local music scene. The feeling of accomplishment and pride is what drove Red. Soon, he began to drink and take part in various drugs, which he claims was the turning point in his life. He became dependent on alcohol and got caught up in the party lifestyle. After leaving his education behind, he became even more dependent on his friends. His only concerns were his friends and whether or not he has a sofa to sleep on for the night. After years of the same routine, his friends grew tired of supporting Red and his lifestyle. On the other hand, he knew that if worse came to worse, he could find a new group of friends because he did not want to leave this lifestyle behind. He did just that; found a new group of friends. These friends did not share the same love of performance and music but they did have the commonality in their love for alcohol. After numerous warnings from close friends, he still chose to surround himself with these people. The real issue was that Red was unable to recognize what true love and compassion was because his parents were unable to show him these traits. His friends warned him, yet
he thought that he knew what was best for him and was able to accept criticism. Red was unable to see what may have been best for him at the moment, but never was able to see what the future held for him. After chatting a little more, Red begins to talk about his experiences as a homeless man on the streets of Los Angeles. It wasn’t until 1997 when Red became officially homeless for about one year. He was caught up in the alcohol and drugs that he pretty much woke up one day with no place to go, and no one to call. Things began to set in that he was, in fact, homeless. He expands on the ‘street smarts’ that essential for living on the streets. He claims that there is a set of rules and a way of life that quickly becomes apparent when living on the streets. He compares the feeling to an animalistic instinct, where one can simply read a passerby and what their role will be in his life at that moment. The way that he was able to read an individual was by their shoes, car, then demeanor in their walk, or simply how they dress. All of these were factors on how a particular individual could be
manipulated for money, a lunch, or a simple blanket. He elaborates on how the most easily controlled and taken advantage of are couples. When a young man and woman are walking down the street, the man always wants to impress the woman by his ability to show compassion, so he will most likely give at least a dollar. Red reiterates that these are not his most proud moments, but it is the way of life at this point. He isn’t proud that he knows exactly how to manipulate people into getting what he needed at the moment. He again, reiterates that it is a skill that is needed, not necessarily wanted. There is a difference between those who simply reside in the community, and
those who take from the community. There are those who simply take from the community and there are those who want to give back. There are those who mind their own business, and those who want to engage in the community. There are those who want to start a conversation, and those who want to start trouble. Red tells about his experiences with both sides of the homeless community. He makes it sound almost as if it is a gang battle; neither side likes the other nor chooses to not associate with one another. On the topic of choosing sides, Red elaborates on the struggle that he has every time that he enters a new community that has homeless. He claims that each group does not want a new member, but does not want the each other to gain another member. He says that he always tries to side with the “chill” group just to hang out in a city for he never knows how long he will be in any given location. We segue into the topic of certain connections of the homeless and the homeful community. When asked how the two communities interact he begins to talk about the shop owners, businesses and city council that are always the first to complain about the homeless community. When store sales
“The sense of pride is something
really important to every person
and it’s not something that
we witness everyday”
THE KITCHEN & THE DINING TABLE
42
are doing bad, the first people that the shop owners blame are the homeless because people don’t want to go into a store where homeless are seen. He claims that many homeless feel as though there is a battle between the community and the people who are dependent on the community. I began to ask Red what his thoughts were on connecting the homeless and the homeful. Immediately, as if he has been thinking of ways to do so already, he begins to list off possible events to merge the two societies. Games and physical sports are his first suggestions. “Wouldn’t it be awesome to see a group of homeless dudes beat the police at a game of baseball?” Red says. He claims that any instance where the playing field is leveled is a place to see a mutual respect for one another; that there isn’t much different between the two groups besides the fact that one has a roof over their head every night. Red says, “The sense of pride is something really important to every person and it’s not something that we [homeless] witness everyday”. This sense of pride seems to be an important topic. Red goes on to state that some sort of continual substance abuse meetings should be held which encourage them and build the individuals up. He claims that there is no way that a homeless man is going to want to work or be a part of anything without a “reward system”. Some sort of prize, token, or incentive needs to be a part of program in order to make an impact on the life of a free-spirited homeless person. All too often, excessive change causes a homeless person to revert back to their negative state of mind. If something is going to change the lives of homeless people, it needs to be consistent and structured. Red says, “if something were to help teach people self-discipline, then it would be helpful for everyone.” Red is now living in a shelter in Los Angeles. After a few confrontations with the authorities, he is now in a rehab center for his substance abuse. He is estimated to be out within a few months.
“If something were to help teach people
self-discipline, then it would be helpful for
everyone.”
“If something were to help teach people
self-discipline, then it would be helpful for
everyone.”
44
During a weekend in October of 2011, Nicholas Ter Meer ventured to New York City to generate a working map of the homeless living on the streets.
This is the map generated using geolocation.
Upon analysis, Broadway Ave., Chinatown, and Alphabet City are locations of a high population of homeless.
MAPPING THE HOMELESS
46
Upon further analysis, it was clear to see that Alphabet City was the be the place of intervention. The site is very dynamic with various shops, eateries, and community gardens.
The neighborhood is currently undertaking a large gentrification due to the expansion of New York University. Students moving into the neighborhood making it a young and vibrant community.
MAPPING THE HOMELESS
After diving deeper into the systemactic elements of the neighborhood, an analysis was done attepmting to find where the ideal location for these interventions to take place are.
This is a set of maps dipicting the current state of the neighborhood and the surrounding context.
CONTEXTURAL MAPPING
Looking at the current state of the neighborhood, there many “pocket parks” located in vacant lots. Looking at these vacant lots, we are able to depict the parks from the proposed interventions.
In red, we can see the feeder farms which relate to the larger plots which contain larger aspects of program.
VACANT & GARDENS
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As a sense of pride, the underclass citizens must feel self-importance in cooking and in the overall scheme. Designing for an environment of comfort and progression is essential. The Kitchen should reflect encouragement in every aspect
and should put the citizen in a position of fulfillment.
On the other hand, it is necessary to provide a place for the community to gather and provide an environment to feel comfort in an [sometimes] unpleasant setting. The
community is to feel as though they feel accepted by the surroundings as well as being a part of this architecture.
The space will be conducting an integration, which requires the entire space to be the “common area”. THE KITCHEN & THE DINING TABLE should merge
and not have a barrier. The gardens and the housing are to have these same concepts. If there is place for a boundary
to set hold, then the design is not functioning correctly. The design should provide a space where people can connect
organically and relationships can begin to be the foundation of this built structure.
This design does not solve the issue of homelessness as a whole, but it gives those who no longer want to be homeless
the opportunity for growth. This design establishes the location at which the community aids in the growth of the
homeless and allows for an unprecedented integration.
DESIGN
63
As of now, the current food distribution takes place in a very mundane manner.
Most of the food that is eaten on Manhattan comes from a distribution center in Hunts Point, Bronx. This means that food coming from planes, trains, and trucks all must first stop in a central location before making it’s
way to the place of consumption.
If we look critically at this process, we can notice that the food does not have a positive affect the on the community of Hunt’s Point,
but rather has become just a distribution hub.
We can re-think the way that food is processed on a localized, manageable, and most importantly, human scale. In
this thesis, food is a very important aspect, so it is necessary for the neighborhood to
have an understanding of where the food is coming from, how it is being processed and
where it is being served.
THE KITCHEN & THE DINING TABLE
66
The schedule of work is detailed in the image to the right.
As a strategy to comprehend the number of dormitories that will be required to sustain the restaurant, a schedule was established to understand work hours and total operation on the site. The restaurant is open from noon until ten everyday with rush hours highlighted in gray. With a balance of chefs and servers, this schedule allows for there not to be any shift longer than 6 hours, allowing the newly-homed residents [formerly homeless], to have time to work in the garden as well as attend clinics and therapy sessions. Each newly-homed resident is required to work in the restaurant twenty hours per week as well as a minimum of 5 hours in the garden aiding with maintaining the garden alongside the community members. Time in the garden will allow for direct connections to be made between members of the community and the newly-homed members; forcing conversations about food, growth, and process. This, hopefully, will spark a relationship between individuals with the baseline-commonality of food growth.
As the newly-homed residents of the site learn the art of preparing food, they are given the gift of a trade that will prepare them for work outside of the current system. As New York City is filled with restaurants, these residents can be prepared to enter into the working class with a skill set that will propel them forward and aid in getting off the streets. Part of the reason for emphasis on connections and exchanges in the garden is to expose the residents to the community who can assist them in getting jobs outside of the current organization. They are able to share their skill sets with the community. Whether their skill is cooking, serving, communication, or any of the skill that they already have, the resident is displaying these qualities to the people involved in the community. As stated by Red previously, “If something were to help teach people self-discipline, then it would be helpful for everyone”, it is essential that there be a system in place that allows the newly-homed residents to have a sense of stability and growth throughout the process. This growth happens on both parties involved; the newly-homed and the surrounding community members.
68
PROGRAM
This program diagram is established in section. The key is that most of the program happens on the ground level, where people converse with one another. The laundry room is located above the kitchen as a neutral zone, or as the most public of private zone. The laundry room is the most public of the private areas and is celebrated from the ground level
The vertical connection from the housing to the kitchen and dining is made by an interjecting shaft which connects the private to the public via vertical views.
KitchenDining Room1,200 sf1,200 sf
Laundry400sf
Clinics100sf each
Meeting Room300 sf
Meeting Room300 sf
Housing[20]350sf each
Reception400sf
Back of House300 sf
70
The diagram to the right represents the angles
of the planting beds on each site.
The garden aspect of the site is divided into
three sections depending on the opportune time
of growth: winter, summer, and equinox. Given
these angles, the planting beds are to abide by
their angles.
The reason for this gesture is to inform as
well as educate which crops grow best in the
given environment. This is also to a establish
a sense of continuity throughout the entire
neighborhood that would inform how each crop
would be located on the site. This strategy is
an indicator of how this functions as a scalar
design throughout the entire neighborhood of
Alphabet City.
When the residents are newly admitted to
the program, they are to learn the process of
growing and preparing food. This is a sign for a
better comprehension of how food is grown and
processed as a whole.
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The datum line is the level at which human interaction takes place. This is where people connect with one another and engage with the surroundings. Since food is a basic human necessity, The Table is emphasized because it is the place where we all must meet each other. The Table functions as a metaphorical conveyer belt, moving all aspects of a meal along a route where it requires numerous personal engagements. Weaving throughout the entire site, The Table becomes an important aspect of the culture on the site. The Table provides a connectivity of program within the site, shaping the way that people engage with one another. The Table is symbolic of the place where people work as one, as well as a place where people break bread with each other.
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SITE PLAN
The site plan shows the relationship between the current urban fabric and the desired locations for this intervention.
81
The weave is to be seen as various scales.
It is a process of connecting various aspects of program on numerous levels of the design.
Connecting food distribution to their end location, local gardens to restaurants, planting beds to kitchen services to The Dining
Table.
82
The table functions as a metaphorical
conveyer belt. Its surface is intended to
be seen from various locations around
the site and used as a beacon to notify
where an individual located is along
the process of gardening to eating. This
sketch is an example of an exploration
of seeing different aspects of the table
from one location. The view is set up
to view people eating, gardening and
cooking along a continuous surface:
THE TABLE
85
Seen in the elevation, there is a
wooden detail that denotes what is
public and what is private. This was
brought into the design as a result of
the long site sections which continually
had a top to the collaged street view.
This is intended to show where is the
area for interaction. This is the level at
which people view their surroundings
on a sidewalk level.
86
In section, notice the ceiling changing
heights which denotes the function
of The Table at that moment. As The
Table moves through the building is
creates different moments which are
reflected in the ceiling creating more
intimate zones and public areas.
The light shaft is also viewed in this
section, which emphasizes the vertical
connection between the communal
actions on the ground level and the
private dormitories above.
89
This section shows the connection from
the building to the garden as well as the
wooden detail, denoting the private and
public areas of the building. This section
also tells how there are certain planting
beds which are raised to create a more
poetic interpretation of all food being
along the datum line.
The vertical circulation is also seen in
this section. The stairs are positioned
against the parti-wall as a gesture that
the vertical components of the site are
more private than the ground level.
93
Taken from the weave diagram, this plan shows the various aspects of
program that are connected by The Table. Planting beds are sufficient
for growth on site.
The Table starts in the top left where it penetrates the building and
making a gesture on the sidewalk. From there, The Table moves through
a set of offices where The Table surface is used as a desk. From there, The
Table moves towards the restaurant where it becomes a casual setting
where the cooking and eating are happening on the same surface. As
The Table progresses through the building it becomes a more formal
dining area, seating upwards of 10-12 people per table. The Table
then moves outside where it becomes a surface to store gardening tools.
While outside, The Table creates an exterior zone that is capable of
spilling into the interior by large garage-style doors, generating a direct
connection from The Dining Room to The Garden. As The Table moves
back outside, it weaves through two of the garden planting sections.
Here, The Table is level with planting beds, creating a poetic moment
where food is grown and moves along the same datum line. When The
Table moves towards this section’s end, again, it penetrates the site
constraints, making an appearance on the sidewalk enticing walkers by
to enter and engage with The Table.
111
This thesis explores the conception of human
interaction with one another on a purely social level.
The people involved share no differences and they
indulge in the same foods. Food is what brings the
people together; hunger is a universal language.
Hunger is the driving point to this research, which
has taken the shape of THE KITCHEN & THE
DINING TABLE. The form of this thesis has
developed from the communal role of the architect
to becoming the primary purpose for design to take
place in an urban context. Architecture must provide
a reason for dissembling walls which exist with a
community in order to unite to the underclass with
the homeful.
INDEX
113
Aelbrecht, Patricia Simões. “Rethinking Urban Design for
a Changing Public Life.” Journal of Place Management and
Development 3.2 (2010): 113-29. Print.
Patricia Simões Aelbrecht, a PhD graduate of the
Bartlett School of Planning, writes about the nature and
conceptualization of public space and public life have
been always associated with collective participation
and socialization in relation to how people live amongst
strangers. Aelbrecht adopts a participant-observation in
Lisbon, Portugal as the primary case study. This research
identifies a number of spacial, social and experimental
conditions that are conducive to social interactions amongst
strangers. This paper demonstrates the need to rethink and
adapt urban design practices to an increasing changing
public life. The interaction between all types of people
is part of the fabric of social life. This is the first reading
that combines social/spacial and experiential factors in the
observation of social interaction in public spaces. This is
intended to be read by planners and designers alike.
Architecture for Humanity, Kate Stohr. Design Like You Give
A Damn: Architecture Responses to Humanitarian Crises.
Metropolis Books.
Kate Stohr, Managing Director at Architecture For
Humanity and graduate from Columbia University’s
Graduate School of Journalism, argues that too often
architects are desperately needed in places where they can
least be afforded. Design Like You Give A Damn is the first
book to bring the best of humanitarian architecture and
design to the printed page. The book offers a history of the
movement toward socially conscious design, and showcases
more than 80 contemporary solutions to such urgent needs
as basic shelter, healthcare, education and access to clean
water, energy and sanitation. This book is intended to be
read by architects and designers alike and is relevant to
me because it clarifies where architecture is need and how
architect can help shape people’s lives.
Bell, Bryan. Good Deeds, Good Design: Community Service
Through Architecture. Princeton Architectural Press. 2004
Bryan Bell, cofounder of Design Corps, states that architects
realize the need for designers in their local communities and
seek out opportunities for design to change lives in a more
local and social matter. Good Deeds, Good Design presents
the best new thoughts and practices in this emerging
movement toward an architecture that serves the broader
population. In this book, architecture firms, community
design centers, design/build programs, and service-based
organizations offer their plans for buildings for the other
ninety-eight percent. Bell uses works such as Rural Studio
as precedents to this style of work proving that architecture
can be a very powerful tool in changing the lives of the
people around us. Good Deeds, Good Design is relevant
due to the exploration initiative in changing the role of the
architect to help provide for the less fortunate. This was
intended to be read by socially conscious architects and
designers.
Bryan Bell, Katie Wakeford, Steve Badanes, Roberta M.
Feldman, Sergio Palleroni, Katie Swenson, Thomas Fisher,
and John Peterson. Expanding Architecture: Design as Activism.
Metropolis Books. 2008
Bryan Bell, in collaboration with Katie Wakeford,
a Research Associate for the Home Environments Design
Initiative, compiles diverse examples of architectural
projects directed towards a greater public good, in stories
told from the perspective of architects. The stories are
not about themselves, but rather their experiences. This
book is intended to be read by architects and designers to
inspire them to analyze their role as architects and try to
be involved in community development. The actual design
of the book facilitates its use as a valuable reference. It’s
wonderful to have a collection of stories that so strongly
makes this point, by showing the broad array of projects
that are already making a difference, and hopefully
inspiring more like them in the future.
Brown, Tim, and Barry Katz. Change by Design: How Design
Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation.
[New York]: Harper Business, 2009. Print.
Tim Brown, president and CEO of IDEO and frequent
THE KITCHEN & THE DINING TABLE
114
writer for Harvard Business Review, The Economist and
other prominent publications, argues that innovation
does not only come from the mind of genius’, but rather
the process of rigorous examination is where great ideas
are developed. This book introduces the idea of design
thinking‚ the collaborative process by which the designer’s
sensibilities and methods are employed to match people’s
needs not only with what is technically feasible and a
viable business strategy. This book is relevant because it
reassures the fact that good design is for everyone. This
is not a book by designers for designers; this is a book for
creative leaders seeking to infuse design thinking into every
level of an organization‚ product‚ or service to drive new
alternatives for business and society.
Busch-Geertsem, Volker. Rehousing Projects for Single
Homeless Persons. Innovative Approaches in Germany.
Rep. Bremen: FEANTS, European Federation of National
Organizations Working with the Homeless, 1998. Print.
Dr. Volker Busch-Geertsem is a PhD in Business and Social
Science and long time fellow of the Society for Innovative
Social Research and Social Planning Association as well as
a national correspondent for the European Observatory
on Homelessness. Since 2009, he has been a co-editor of
the European Journal of Homelessness. In this study, he
analyzes 2 housing environments for the single homeless.
Both schemes have tried new forms of cooperation between
voluntary service providers and commercial housing
enterprises. Both have combined normal housing provision
based on normal and unlimited tenancies for homeless
persons who have great social difficulties with services
of complementary personal care. The National Report
presents the findings of the studies undertaken under this
scheme and also contains a critical assessment of chances
and limitations of the approach underlying the pilot
schemes. This is relevant because it compares two housing
situations in a compare and contrast manner and lays out
the pros and cons to each situation.
Cary, John W., Majora Carter, and John Peterson. The Power of
Pro Bono. Metropolis Books. 2010.
John Cary, President & CEO of Next American City, author,
and former executive of the San Francisco nonprofit, Public
Architecture, gives the architect and client an equal voice in
The Power of Pro Bono. The book highlights 40 pro bono
design projects across the country including community
organizations as well as national and international
nonprofit. This publication is inspired and informed by
the advocacy and design work of Public Architecture. This
book is relevant because it highlights projects similar to
what I would model my thesis after.
Cirugeda, Santiago. Ciudad Prótesis. Barcelona: Editions
ETSAB, 2006. Web.
Santiago Cirugeda, professor at Bogota’s Javeriana School
and founder of Recetas Urbanas, seeks to identify and
highlight some of the items present in ambiguous spaces
still unexplored between legality and illegality. Cirugeda
explores the spaces outside of the traditional spaces
generated by government in attempt to reclaim the urban
space to the people who reside in the close environment.
This is relevant because it questions what public space
really is and attempts to reclaim the public space for the
public. This article is intended to be read by designers who
have an interest in activism.
Davis, Sam. Designing For The Homeless: Architecture That
Works. Berkeley: University of California, 2004. Print.
Sam Davis, principal of Sam Davis Architect which has
been devoted to affordable housing for over 30 years and
professor at University of California, Berkeley, argues for
safe and functional architectural designs and programs
that symbolically reintegrate the homeless into society
in buildings that offer beauty, security and hope to those
in need. Davis presents a new perspective, considering
the personal concerns of the homeless, the social costs of
homelessness, and organizational and design issues. He
examines problems of community fit and site planning,
building design and organization, and interior layout and
suggests how to weigh costs and optimize expenditures.
This is relevant because of his views on architecture for the
homeless and combining the two communities for a greater,
INDEX
115
equal relationship.
Fathy, Hassan. Architecture For The Poor; An Experiment in
Rural Egypt. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1973. Print.
Hassan Fathy, an Egyptian architect, poet, environmentalist
and planner, describes his plan to building a village in
Egypt without the use of modern and expensive materials
such as steel and concrete. He argues that architecture does
not need to be expensive but can still be beautiful and serve
its main purpose: shelter. The book is relevant because
it shows how architecture can be used without needing
expensive materials, but can be used as simple shelter and
can still provide for people in the same way.
Goetz, Edward. “Words Matter: The Importance of Issue Framing
and the Case of Affordable Housing.” Journal of the American
Planning Association 74.2 (2008): 222-29. Print.
This article examines whether or not the words used to
describe a policy make a difference for the level of acceptance
of said policy. A random survey of suburban residents was
conducted in order to answer the question regarding their
support for affordable housing. Others were asked the
same question except the phrase ‘lifecycle housing’ was
proposed in place of ‘affordable housing’. This produced
a difference of 30 percentage points when referred to as
‘lifecycle housing’. This is relevant because under certain
circumstances planners and designers may use different
terminology when referring to social housing. It was also
applicable because it showcases the nature of presenting
this topic and how the public perceives affordable housing.
This was written to be read by psychoanalysis and planners
alike.
Gopnik, Adam. The Table Comes First: Family, France, and The
Meaning Of Food. New York: Knopf, 2011. Print.
Adam Gopnik, a staff writer for the New Yorker, writes
this book on the meaning of food and its importance in
today’s culture. Gopnik’s claim is that we have made food
the reason for secular seeking and transcendence, finding
our heavens in a mouthful, yet we still overlook the true
meaning of food in our lives. Gopnik writes about the first
restaurant and its meaning in society from which traditions
around the world have been carried out. Gopnik is more
concerned with what goes on around the table rather
than on the table; a story of family, friends, lovers coming
together or breaking apart, and all types of individuals for
a conversation. This, ultimately, is who we are.
Klassen, Filiz, and Robert Yunn. Kronenburg. “Transformable
Personal Space within a Communal Setting: Housing for the
Homeless.” Transportable Environments 2. London: Spon,
2003. 59-68. Print.
Filiz Klassen, an artist, researcher and Associate Professor
at Ryerson University, writes about the growing homeless
population in Toronto and how the escalating process must
be addressed. Klassen argues that the shortage of public
funding for has forced non-profit organizations to look
for alternatives for the under-housed groups. Using the
Strachan House in Toronto as a precedent, she claims that
this small community reflects how design can should be
with the homeless people rather than designing for them.
This is applicable because it gives insight on how to allow
the community to be able to speak for themselves in what
they need and how we can design alongside them.
Kweon, Byoung-Suk., W. C. Sullivan, and A. R. Wiley. “Green
Common Spaces and the Social Integration of Inner-City Older
Adults.” Environment and Behavior 30.6 (1998): 832-58. Print.
For older adults, social integration and the strength of
social ties are profoundly important predictors of well-
being and longevity. Can the physical environment be
designed to promote older adults’ social integration with
their neighbors? We examined this possibility by testing the
relationships between varying amount of exposure to green
outdoor common spaces and the strength of ties among
neighbors. Results of interviews with 91 older adults
(between the ages of 64 and 91 years) from one inner-city
neighborhood show that the use of green outdoor common
spaces predicted both the strength of neighborhood social
ties and sense of community. Although the strength of these
THE KITCHEN & THE DINING TABLE
116
relationships were modest, the findings suggest that the
characteristics of outdoor common spaces can play a role in
the formation and maintenance of social ties among older
adult residents of inner-city neighborhoods. The results
have implications for designers, managers, and residents of
housing developments.
Lambert, Léopold. “# SMALL /// Santiago Cirugeda.”
Boiteaoutils. Blogspot, 12 Dec. 2008. Web. 7 Oct. 2011. <http://
boiteaoutils.blogspot.com/2008/12/small-santiago-cirugeda.
html>.
Léopold Lambert, activist and graduate of the Master’s of
Science in Architecture from the Pratt Institute, analyzes
the work of Recetas Urbanas and highlights a few projects
explaining the process. He goes into the details of zoning
and explains how each project is merged between legal
and illegal. The relevance lies in the subtleties and the
explanation. Highlighting 4 projects in a blog-style of
writing, we are able to see how these projects came to be and
how they are merged in the grey area of the bureaucratic
system. This was an insight; seeing all of the loop holes in
the system where architecture and public space can exist.
This was intended to be read by urban planners, designers,
and citizens.
Ouroussoff, Nicolai. “Shantytowns as a New Suburban Ideal -
New York Times.” The New York Times - Breaking News, World
News & Multimedia. The New York Times, 12 Mar. 2006. Web.
6 Oct. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/12/arts/
design/12ouro.html?scp=3>.
Nicolai Ouroussoff, writer for the New York Times art
section, writes about the work of Teddy Cruz, San Diego
based architecture activist and founder of Estudio Teddy
Cruz. He highlights the work of Cruz and his involvement
in both the US and Mexico and writes about his involvement
in the Tijuana slums. He states that we, in the US, live so
close to such an impoverished area and turn a blind eye
to them. Cruz has also focused on the border and how it
acts as such a barrier where there shouldn’t be one. This is
relevant to my studies because it touches on poverty as well
as informing people of a certain social condition. This is
intended to be read by activist as well as designers.
Turner, John F. C., and Robert Fichter. Freedom To Build;
Dweller Control of the Housing Process. New York: Macmillan,
1972. Print.
John F. C. Turner, coordinator of the Habitat International
Coalition’s Non-Governmental Organization Habitat
Project and former educator at Harvard, MIT and
University College London, argues that dwellers lose
control over their living environments then shelter becomes
a commodity of decreasing value to the individual and often
an inordinate expense to society. He argues that the user is
in control of their surroundings and that those activities
can begin to achieve their natural expression. This text is
relevant because it shows how dwellers are in control of
design and it questions the governmental system for low-
income housing hoping to provide better living situations
for the less fortunate. This is intended to be read by urban
planners, designer and the socially conscious.
Whiteley, Nigel. Design for Society. London : Reaktion Books
; 1993.
Nigel Whiteley, Professor at the Lancaster Institute for the
Contemporary Arts, author and art researcher, argues that
there is very little understanding to be found in the design
for the general public. Whiteley states that design has been
more about consciousness rather than awareness. The book
focuses on the anti-consumerism standpoint to design and
argues that design needs to be responsible for it’s social
and ecological surroundings. This book hold relevance
because of his stance on the responsibility of architecture
and design as well as it’s designer. This book was intended
to be read by designer in order to challenger their designs
and help make a social change.
117
Nicholas Ter Meer migrated to Massachusetts
from southern California to study Architecture
at the Wentworth Institute of Technology. After
completing his Bachelors of Architecture, Nicholas
was brought onto various non-profit design
teams, such as DSGN AGNC and Architecture
2030, as a designer, researcher, and landscape
visionary. It was during this time that Nicholas
developed a passion for bringing critical social
conditions to light and asking how architecture
can address said issues. This prompt led Nicholas
back to graduate school at the Wentworth
Institute of Technology where he was is a Master’s
of Architecture candidate. Nicholas writes, listens,
designs, draws, and observes with the intention of
propelling and encouraging change.
119
All images and writings
by Nicholas Ter Meer
Wentworth Institute of Technology,
Masters of Architecture candidate
Boston, Massachusetts, USA 2012