The courtyard is an edible garden, play space and area of congregation for all residents. All condominium apartments open onto the yard and a Community Kitchen at the northeast corner of the lot will benefit from the substantial yield of fruits and vegetables grown on-site. The compact footprint of the residential buildings at the garden level helps to maximize the coverage and output of the urban farm. Profit generated by the kitchen and garden will off-set maintenance and utility costs making this complex an affordable place to live. The apartments, ranging from one bedroom to six bedrooms, can accommodate a variety of household types - from individuals to large families.
The Community Kitchen will provide an alternative to restaurant dining or to shopping and preparing a home-cooked meal from scratch. While this concept has been proven to save time and make home-cooked meals significantly easier to prepare, there are also numerous additional benefits to the community. For example, this common kitchen will reconnect the consumer with local farms and fisheries through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). In addition, and in keeping with the CSA model, the approximately $64,000 per year in profit generated by the Community Kitchen would allow it to partner with local food producers in order to negotiate fair pricing that benefits both the producer and consumer. Through these partnerships our community will once again celebrate the area’s local bounty, while reducing the food’s embodied energy and promoting sustainable and organic farming. In fact, the approximately 9100 SF of planted roofs, terraces, and ground plane in our design will allow for a substantial yield of fruits and vegetables right on site, with the added benefit of reconnecting urban consumers to their food systems.