Sugar Roots Farm Outdoor Kitchen
"Our mission is to cultivate a community where all can share in the goodness of the earth. Through educational experiences, practical skills, and meaningful relationships with animals, we inspire each other to connect with nature and learn healthier habits for life.” - Sugar Roots Farm
Sugar Roots Farm is a local non-profit organization in lower Algiers that connects people of all ages to our food systems and local ecologies. They teach and practice thoughtful land management to ensure that future generations have the knowledge and resources necessary to produce and enjoy wholesome and fresh foods.
The team spent a lot of time considering the environmental impact, sound effects, and long-term adaptation of various material and finishing possibilities.
The outdoor classroom, and future kitchen, at Sugar Roots Farm is anchored by steel columns and a sizable wooden roof structure that is supported by a raised concrete slab with integrated drainage.
In order to reduce localized flooding, the sloped roof channels water into a cistern while the raised concrete slab and foundation incorporates piping for drainage into the bioswale. The building has large custom countertops for teaching culinary and canning workshops and to facilitate washing the farm's produce. An educational wall with fixed signage and a chalkboard for class activities frames the area. It also has a storage room for cooking tools and supplies. A rope screen and handrail element soften the entryway and offer some protection from the nearby road.
Through the Small Center for Collaborative Design, the 26 person team designed and completed building the project in approximately 17 weeks. The Small Center is the community design center at the Tulane School of Architecture. Learn more about the Small Center here.
SUGAR ROOTS FARM:
- Brooke Bullock
- Cloud Henderson
- Kendall Winingder
- Ashley Locklear
- Anika Wasserman
- Emily Hiatt
- Valeria Emmett
PROJECT LEADERS:
- Emilie Taylor Welty
- Jose Cotto
STUDENTS:
- Merrie Afseth
- Brianna Baldwin
- Le’Bryant Bell
- Zach Braaten
- Kelsie Donovan
- Kareem Elsandouby
- Ellen Feringa
- Nick George
- Ella Jacobs
- Sam Lindley
- Connor Little
- Mandii Malhotra
- Johnathan Michka
- Sofia Perrotta Mensi
- Malina Pickard
- James Poche
- Natalie Rendleman
- David Rodriguez
- Katie Schultz
- Karan Sharma
- Bruno Soria
- Giuliana Vaccarino Gearty
- Yao Zhang