The Sustainable Food Center (SFC) is an Austin based non-profit that cultivates a healthy community by strengthening the local food system and improving access to nutritious, affordable food. For almost 40 years, the organization has been the Sustainable Food Center without a center, until now. Completed this summer, the new facility serves as a destination point for families and individuals accessing services and participating in community activities. The site is centrally located in East Austin, SFC's target area of services, immediately adjacent to the Capital MetroRail MLK Station.
Design and Construction Team
Architect: Dick Clark Architects
Contractor: SpawGlass
Building Features
The 7,000 square foot, two-story building includes a permanent, flexible meeting space for classes and workshops as well as staff offices and program storage space. The ground floor features a fully-equipped commercial teaching kitchen to allow for larger and more frequent cooking classes and other community partnership activities. The teaching kitchen doubles as a conference/meeting/media room, separated by an acoustic movable partition wall that completely separates the space with privacy and sound control. The outdoor community garden, outdoor learning pavilion, greenhouse for cultivating plant starts (which currently must be bought each year), composting operation and gardening shed are all features that allow SFC to further promote community health.
The second floor features an open circulation office space, employee kitchen and an outdoor deck for growing herbs in containers that also makes a great entertainment and meeting space with a view.
Construction Elements
The new facility was constructed according to the Austin Energy Green Building standards and received a three-star rating. Below are notable construction elements:
- Located within the Urban Watershed Desired Development Zone
- Demonstrates a 7.5% improvement in energy performance compared with a baseline building that complies with the current Austin Energy Code
- Building materials were extracted and/or manufactured (final assembly) within Texas and contain recycled content, brick was re-used from a demolished building
- All paints, primers and anti-corrosive coatings applied on-site to the building interior do not exceed the VOC limit of the Green Seal Environmental Standard
- Water efficient flush and flow fixtures
- Connects neighboring properties with pedestrian and/or bicycle only paths that are separate from vehicular traffic
- A connected bike route next to the MLK Station provides further access to the center and community garden
- Incorporates bicycle securing areas and shower/changing facilities that accommodate 10% or more of the building occupants
Impact on Central Texas
The new Sustainable Food Center facility serves as an urban agriculture hub where groups and individuals learn experientially how to cultivate food in their backyards, schools and neighborhoods. It provides central space to deliver cooking workshops for the community and onsite training for facilitators, who in turn deliver cooking classes at community centers, churches, clinics and schools throughout Central Texas. Through organic food gardening, interactive cooking classes and nutrition education, children and adults have increased access to locally grown food and are empowered to improve the long-term health of Central Texans and our environment.
Lissa Adams
J.L. Powers and Associates
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