Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf

1996 Burlington, VT
5,300 SF, Hot meals and food distribution center. $520K
Principal: Michael Wisniewski

Provide new facilities for a hot meal program, grocery distribution, staff and counseling offices and warehouse. The programs serve a wide population ranging from homeless individuals to working families. Incorporate an existing concrete block building at rear of site into plan. The meals and grocery programs require separate entries with the ability to be open and flowing at times and secure at other times. Privacy is required so views from the street into interior must be limited.

Exterior massing, materials and color express the different programs. The building defines a strong street edge but limits views into the interior. Two entries allow the main program spaces to function independently and are clearly expressed but set to the side for privacy. The interior dining room is filled with natural lights. It is built of durable surfaces but enlivened with color through a series of fabric art/architecture pieces that modulate space, light and sound and create a sense of mystery in a straightforward, functional room.