{"id":34416,"date":"2016-11-16T18:19:33","date_gmt":"2016-11-16T17:19:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/en\/edible-schoolyard\/"},"modified":"2016-11-16T18:24:31","modified_gmt":"2016-11-16T17:24:31","slug":"edible-schoolyard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/en\/edible-schoolyard\/","title":{"rendered":"Edible Schoolyard"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York City\u2019s first Edible Schoolyard at P.S.216 in Brooklyn is a half-acre Organic Garden and Kitchen Classroom Building including a greenhouse and cooking space for students to prepare and enjoy food from the garden. With one of the lowest percentages of open, green space in Brooklyn and over 90% of the students\u2019 families qualifying for food assistance, Gravesend was a natural choice for the city\u2019s first Edible Schoolyard. All of P.S. 216\u2019s 625 students work with professional garden and kitchen teachers in separate experiential garden and kitchen classes that are aligned with the common core curriculum and integrated into the school day.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
photo by Iwan Baan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A half-acre of the existing parking lot behind P.S.216 was transformed into a thriving organic garden. The new kitchen classroom building is composed of three major components, each of which is articulated through different shapes and materials. The greenhouse is a polycarbonate and aluminum structure; the steel-framed kitchen classroom is clad in a pixilated pattern of colored shingles; and a \u201cSystems Wall\u201d at the rear is articulated as a series of playful volumes covered in a bright blue rubber coating. The Systems Wall condenses all of the building\u2019s systems into one zone, including a 1500-gallon reclaimed water cistern, a tool shed, a restroom and A\/C units. The roof angles over the greenhouse and the kitchen classroom are aligned to maximize the collection of rainwater, which is used to irrigate the garden.<\/p>\n

\"drawing<\/a>
drawing by children representing the garden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Kitchen Classroom provides space for up to thirty students to prepare and enjoy meals with vegetables harvested from the school\u2019s organic garden, and office space to accommodate on-site staff. The fa\u00e7ade of the kitchen classroom is clad in a low-cost material \u2013 cementitious shingles, which are reinterpreted as pixels to make a graphic flower pattern inspired by Venturi Scott Brown\u2019s BEST fa\u00e7ade. The fa\u00e7ade also shapes the interior space through the placement of porthole windows and circular skylights at the center of the flowers, creating a dynamic and fun atmosphere. Inside the Kitchen Classroom, cabinets lining the walls are painted in a thirteen color gradient based on the colors of the fa\u00e7ade. In the garden the Ramada – a round seating area – provides a gathering place for the children.<\/p>\n