Hui Shan Cao

Building Roots Cafe

In project 2 students developed an understanding of wood construction and how to design and draw a very small structure.

Their mission: To design a small serving building for an outdoor café for the Building Roots food hub at Moss Park, Toronto. (see https://buildingroots.ca/) The building will serve customers through a window/counter and have a small workspace inside. It needs to have a fun, community-building presence in the Building Roots spirit.

Building Roots is a non-profit that runs community gardens and a CSA (community supported agriculture - bags or boxes of food directly from farmers and chefs, usually picked up weekly). They have recently expanded their existing program for accessible, affordable CSA food pickup.  During the pandemic they saw the need to feed more people, create a sense of community, and bring joy through music and other entertainment at their site in Toronto’s Moss Park neighbourhood.  The café is meant to aid in this endeavor, using food and entertainment to help a community through trying times.

Through a series of sketches and study models you are to create a space that is appropriately scaled for Moss Park.







Toronto Metropolitan Department of  Architectural Science Toronto, CA.