BaoHütten
BaoHütten are a collection of architectural installations at The Bao and Dumpling Festival in Peoria, Arizona inspired by the acts of pinching, pleating, and shriveling. These structures not only offer vending space for dumpling sellers but drive festival goers to learn about the history and art of dumpling making.
Educational
Placemaking
Can Architecture
Facilitate Learning?
This design explores an intimate "arena style" space where patrons look toward the center island. There, an instructor offers historical lessons and guides them in dumpling preparation. By utilizing a central sunken focal point, the architecture itself directs guest attention without the need for screens or projections to simulate an up-close educational experience.
The Pleat
The BaoHütten I developed as a sample is inspired by pleated dumplings, ones with tightly crimped or gathered edges. Admittedly, this design looks nothing like a dumpling because instead of creating a building that mimics the appearance of the food, I opted to represent it's construction. These structured edges create attractive repetition and radiating geometries. Additionally, the exterior skin of the design allows light through emphasizing the pleats, hinting at the space within, and emulating a paper thin dough.
The Physical Context:
The BaoHütten would be built in Centennial Plaza Park, the designated site of the The Bao and Dumpling Festival. They would act as (semi) permanent fixtures in the park to be utilized by community members who are interested in experiencing education focused spaces. They could be used for events such as casual workshops, mobile classroom lectures, or town hall meetings.
The site plan acts as a potential festival layout. There are ticketed entry stations, vendor booths, picnic tables, and porta potties. There is also a bao shaped fountain to commemorate the festival namesake as well as a performance mainstage. All of these features dance in the periphery of each BaoHütten. From left to right they are pictured in black: the pinched, the pleated, and the shriveled, all of which are accompanied by dumpling sale spaces
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