Los Rios Community College District-American River College, Culinary Arts Building
Sacramento, CaliforniaThe American River College is a valuable segment of the largest Community College system in the state of California with 29,000 students on campus, including 200 students enrolled in the Culinary Arts Program. Within ARC's Fine Arts Department resides the Culinary Arts, an integral aspect to the program, graduating students that go on to work and operate many notable restaurants and bakeries in the area.
Through the expansion of the Culinary Arts building, included in the master plan of American River College, the program will be able to accommodate a higher enrollment, improved facilities and specialized labs. As well, the Oak Cafe will become larger and moved to a more significant location, showcasing the school's culinary program more prominently.
The culinary institute is oriented to address the relationship between the future arts development by continuing the edge condition across to the entry of the culinary complex. The structure is broken into two main components, the labs and the kitchen, which merge at the entrance to create a courtyard. Adjacent to the courtyard is the Oak Cafe, the spirit of the building, creating a dynamic space that will serve as an entrance to the campus as the building fronts a major parking lot of the campus. The entrance, courtyard and cafe function as both a congregation point and a passage into the rest of the college. The sloping roofs of the two main components emphasize the threshold, adding a dynamic moment to the space.