culinary enLIGHTenment

Memphis, TN is the birthplace of rock and roll and, most importantly, soul food. For this competition it will build on its culture of cuisine through a new culinary arts school in the heart of downtown. The small sit¬e was chosen because of the proximity to downtown, a trolley line, and the fact that the Mississippi River is located only a few blocks away. This area in Memphis has been on the decline but is slowly beginning to be revitalized and reinvented. This dynamic and evolving site demands a particu-larly public and inviting architectural expression in order to bring people to this area of downtown and rejuvenate the community. The use of an innovative steel structure in this area would not only draw more people into this up and coming area, but also The use of an innovative steel structure in this area would not only draw more people into this up and coming area, but also create a space within the building that engages the students in the culinary atmosphere. Vernacular conditions with an emphasis on the building to the East of the site were taken into account when designing the facade. The historic brick façade and propor-tions of the divides at the front of the buildings were huge considerations when determining how to begin designing the front façade of the college. From a performance perspective the building is designed to draw in light and mitigate solar gain, a particular concern in the hot humid climate of Memphis. A central atrium was designed within the building to function as a light well and provide a space to gather and progress through the building. The main entry is within the atrium and from there you can either go to the restaurant or bakery, both of which are downstairs, or travel up throughout the rest of the building where one will experience the rest of the college. As mentioned, the atrium is not only a source of light, but it also denotes a place to gather. Larger seating areas are grouped around the space to encourage conversation or just to sit quietly and study before a test. This allows the building to become more like a campus rather than just a building with rooms inside. Taking advantage of the spanallows the building to become more like a campus rather than just a building with rooms inside. Taking advantage of the span-ning capacity of a rigid framing system, a structural system was designed to wrap/overlap the building. This created a large open restaurant space that allowed for tall ceilings where the structure continued to wrap around the building and back into the atrium space. A large open patio on the roof level was also formed through this and created an interesting space with partial structure overhead. The skin is a series of brick panels that respond to proportions of the neighboring historic building. A distinct extrusion of the third through fifth floors is evident from the street and by the way the brick is manipulated. These are the floors with teaching kitchens, thus relating back to the importance of the main purpose of the building.

2nd street

jefferson ave

courrt square

SITE

rooftop level

3rd level

2nd level

lecture hall

demonstration lab

classroom

teaching kitchen

rooftop garden

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atriumrestaurantbarkitchenelevatorrestroomspublic elevatorsfire stairfreight elevatortrash/receivingbake shop

1

2

34

56

78

9

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11

ENTRY LEVEL scale: 1/16” = 1’0”scale: 1/32” = 1’0”

views

entrances

egress

green space

atriumentry

traditional brick

double glazed curtain wall panel

lightweight concrete on metal decking

steel frame

steel connectors

I-beam w12 x 26

fireproofing

dropped ceiling

exterior cladding

“wrapping” structure

steel structure

floors

bar space highlighting structure