pooja lalwani

the living walk

Located along the Plank Road Corridor in an area known for 1 in 6 people struggling with hunger and for being a food desert in Baton Rouge, The Living Walk aims to bridge this gap between the lack of healthy food access and safe community engagement with Plank Road.The design uses strategies of Aquaponics, Vertical Farming, and Community gardens for the main living walk to create healthy and affordable food that is accessible to the community.The Steel Truss System with perpendicular beams are used for the main Living Walk Corridor and and Living Wall Types with Brass Finishing to mimic the wood used for the planters to honor Plank Road’s history of where its name comes from.The Grid for the Steel Frame Roof structure used throughout the building while being rotated diagonally to line up with the Existing Historical Facade used for the Plank Road Food Bank and Indoor Restaurant playing off the natural site lines. Access to Food growth and distribution are pivotal factors to the Living Walk as none of the 30 large chain stores lie North of interstate 10, and 17% of East Baton rouge lacks access to grocers. . The Living Wall types have been redesigned for smaller scale designs of seating areas and bus stops in order to pull the residents of Plank Road and the greater Baton Rouge Area to the Food Hub in order to be accessible to families without access to transportation and food through the connection of the Hub to the Baton Rouge Rapid Transit System.In conjuction to the Existing Brick Facade which is used for the Food Bank and Indoor Restaurants, there is a added brick facade on the other side of the living Walk that is able to be part of the The Baton Rouge Walls Project allowing for locals to paint murals on it monthly to allow for a connection between the community and the Food Hub while allowing them to preserve and express cultural practices. The goal for the Living Walk Food Hub is to be a thriving, socially diverse, and accessible network that provides access to healthy and affordable food, more access to jobs and educational opportunities, while sparking community engagement and involvement through preserving the history of Plank Road.