COMMUNITY ENGAGED DESIGN
STUDIO 04
INSTRUCTOR: MENNA AGHA
COORDINATORS: NATALIA ESCOBAR-CASTRILLON & JOHAN VOORDUOW
Noreh Kitchen, located at Sandalwood Park in Herongate, Ottawa is a communal outdoor kitchen open for use to the Herongate community. This design project was a semester long assignment that placed emphasis on community-engaged design which involved research into the history of Herongate community as well as collaborative work with its community members.
Based on the research conducted in Herongate and by listening to the experiences of current and past residents, one gets the sense that this is a community whose greatest strength draws from the network of care that community members have fostered between one another.
In many cultures, the kitchen is not solely a workspace for the function of utility. It is a protected space for gathering community, imparting intergenerational learning and distributing care.
Although designated as a community kitchen, the main purpose of Noreh Kitchen was to create a gathering space for different events that would need food preparation and/or storage. Its conception arose from research around food security in Herongate. Its location in the community is essential, as Sandalwood Park has been the site of many different community events, such as community barbecues, COVID-19 outdoor vaccinations and sports workshops. Its minimal design is intentional, as such, the spaces can be adapted to their intended use.
A food storage box on the Eastern façade of the kitchen space acts as a food donation box that can be opened from either side. Since Sandalwood Park is situated between the main grocery store and housing, it is a way for people to easily access food donations, whether they are using it for their personal use or for the use of the community kitchen.
The structure hinges off of the back of an existing fieldhouse and builds around trees on site. The fieldhouse, which houses bathrooms and storage is inaccessible to the public despite having the potential for being a publicly used space. By building right beside it, we make a commentary about boundaries and policy. The openness of Noreh Kitchen greatly contrasts the mason-clad building it neighbours.
Outdoor countertops are an important feature for this project, as they allow for serving food to people in the park. I imagined that this project would be a good opportunity for an informal snack program for the children that use the park or for individually-run home daycares.
Noreh Kitchen was built in conjunction with two other projects: Playspace by Stephanie Opdebeeck and Para-Siting (Civil Clinic) by Huy Dinh.Our intention was to create a hub of services in Sandalwood Park that would work to help service the Herongate community.
