claire duncan

the louisiana local

The Louisiana Local provides Plank Road, an underdeveloped low income area, a food hub full of healthy and sustainable options for local and other users living in Baton Rouge. Users such as workers can stop by on their lunch break and choose from the different restaurant options while local families can enjoy the open air park and teaching kitchen with foods provided by the farmers who work daily to provide crops and goods. Inspired by the breaking of the grid that Plank Road plays on the urban layout of Baton Rouge’s capitol area, The Louisiana Local plays with a grid roof form which is broken by the key programmatic elements of the building. 

These key elements are highlighted by the compost column promenade which allows one to be aware of food waste and the beneficial impacts of turning decay into life. All centered around the teaching kitchen, whether one stays for a short moment or for a while users can be inspired by teaching of local and healthy cuisine options. 

In addition, the farmer’s fruits, vegetables, and herbs sold in the market or used in the restaurant produce garden waste which is then sent to the digestive compost wall that allows users to look into the decay that is happening through glazing and see the benefits of its use in the garden for farming. 

All of this exists under an undulating steel roof canopy that allow for maximum shading and social interaction through its amphitheater roof form. Certain farming panels utilize hydroponics which filters the waste from the catfish tank in the restaurant through floating gardens as minerals for growth. The decay that exists in both the Urban environment of the site as well as in the everyday practices of eating and farming serves as a beacon of inspiration and transformation for what it could become at the Louisiana Local.