The Buffalo Public School District requested proposals for a second campus for the Emerson School of Hospitality in downtown Buffalo, NY. The school’s popularity has resulted in a waiting list of students interested in culinary and hospitality instruction.
In response, A|r proposed a brand new building sited in Buffalo’s Larkin District. The building’s two volumes rise up along two thoroughfares flanking the triangular shaped site. One wing hosts primarily student functions, including teaching kitchens, classrooms, a library, rooftop greenhouse, and on-site composting to offer students a holistic learning experience. A sky bridge connects these functions to the opposite volume, which hosts more public-oriented programs including a demo kitchen and food management functions, hospitality space, a student-run bakery and restaurant, and rooftop dining. The orientation of the massing and the structure’s industrial design relate it to back to Larkin and offer a nod to the district’s manufacturing heritage.
Outside, students and pedestrians enjoy a courtyard with inviting hardscaped space for outside learning and study. Ample greenspace surrounds the building for a campus feel amidst the urban setting, and an urban orchard lines the street along the building’s longest façade.