Community Collaborative Co-Working and Recreation Center
This final project is a collaborative co-working space for entrepreneurs, parents, and families to bring their children while they work; with an exterior space that allows for entrepreneurs and the public alike to share, sell, and view one another’s work. The design began with a column grid, the interior column grid angled toward the site entrance to allow for seamless access from the front to the back of the site. The interior column grid dictated the curvilinear nature of the interior walls (as the “L shape” curves from left to right across the site) with the exterior grid allowing for these circular shapes to be pinched into the l-shaped columns, creating private entrances and apertures at the corners of the site. Finally, the glass skin encloses the majority of the interior spaces on each floor. The glass skin provides buffer between the exterior, public activities and the private interior spaces. The glass façade also allows for open, lighted collaborative working and seating space that can be outside but again separate from the exterior public spaces.
The City Market is a place where both families and professionals can come to work and play. With the surrounding school and businesses in mind, our space provides a co-working and play-working environment for the Dogpatch neighborhood of Berkeley, CA. The exterior grid is positioned in order to allow for easy access to the interior spaces and throughout the site. It also forms the directionality of a transparent boundary which creates a seamless threshold between exterior and interior and creates interior circulation. On the ground and second floor, these transparent walls can be opened to allow the spaces within the boundary to become an extension of the flexible open-air space. On the first and third floor, these boundaries create bright indoor seating areas and private entrances for cafe employees, the medical clinic, and offices. The exterior grid oriented the interior volumes, while the interior column grid informed the curvilinear walls which directly opposed the rigidness of the grid.
On the ground floor, there’s a public farmers market with surrounding seating areas and a cafeteria inside. This cafeteria is a double height space, which can be viewed from above. Moving upwards, the spaces become increasingly private, so on the first floor is the medical clinic with flexible space for yoga and meditation. On the second floor is a daycare, where parents can work while their kids are at school. This floor includes a coffee shop which supports this play working environment. This double height space connects to the top floor, which opens to exterior co-working space and also includes private office spaces and meeting rooms. The roof includes multiple lightwells which allow for ample natural lighting throughout the space. (Academic Project in Partnership with Emily Ely)
