Title: Community and Urban Food Complex
Location of Proejct: Greensboro, North Carolina
Project Completion Date: June 2024
Firm Name: Andre Johnson Architect, PLLC

Short Description: The North Carolina A&T State University Community and Urban Food Processing Facility serves a unique and diverse range of programmatic functions. It is a catalyst in both its immediate physical context as well as in the larger geographic area. The project brings together educators, students, local farmers, and the public, in a mutually enriching exchange of ideas and practices to benefit the community as a whole. The design is response to an abstract view of the vernacular of traditional farm structures. The design maximizes views and natural light, while creating a beacon at the site.

Architect's Statement: The building contains lab spaces for the testing and development of food processing methods. These facilities are provided by the College of Agriculture and are used to educate students and undertake research. A commercial kitchen supports further training and may even be used to cater university functions. Probably the most unique and visible aspect of the project is the creamery. It is supplied by milk from cows on the farm and includes a commercial ice cream shop open to the public. Future plans for the site include an amphitheater and the lawn in front of the building, as well as the exterior breeze ways around it, are designed to accommodate local markets.
The building form and materiality were inspired by vernacular agrarian structures. Of specific influence were the A-frame and shed roof, as well as corrugated metal panel. These motifs are abundant throughout the rural North Carolina landscape. The form was derived from a manipulation of the conventional roof types to create interest and emphasis at strategic locations. The chosen metal cladding type was corrugated, perforated Corten panels. Variously sized and spaced corrugation and perforation densities provide for a subtle yet dynamic quality to the cladding on each elevation. The vertical panels are conceptually an extension of the roof and turn down to define exterior walkways around the building. The continuous baseline of the vertical panels rises and falls strategically. In some instances, it angles up toward the sky to create a sense of welcome at the entries, and in others it gestures down to the ground to provide solar protection or privacy, depending on the function of the space behind it.