BR+A+CE: Building Research – Architecture – Building Exchange

And it’s stylish too…

Thanks to designers Jeremy Afuso and Jesen Tanadi, now you can show the world your love for the Mattapan Mobile Farm Stand project with some sweet merchandise!

Boring bicycle or rear car window? How about your office or home? We’ve got you covered (literally) with awesome stickers and posters!

Fallen out of touch with old friends? Now you can catch up with one of our mobile farm stand postcards!

Do you leave a trail of dropped produce behind you on your way home from the farmers’ market?  Pick up one of our custom tote bags and be bag-less no more!

We’re super excited about these incentives, and I hope you will be too.  If you haven’t donated yet, be sure to visit our crowdfunding campaign at www.indiegogo.com/mattapanmobilefarmstand and tell your friends and family to do the same!

-John

We’re Live!

I’m very pleased to let everyone know that as of this afternoon, BR+A+CE’s internet crowdfunding campaign is live! You now can contribute to the project via www.indiegogo.com/mattapanmobilefarmstand.  We’d like to give a huge thank you to recent RISD architecture grad Jeremy Afuso, who has designed a gorgeous logo for stickers, posters, and tote bags that we are offering in exchange for your contribution to the project via IndieGoGo.

I’d also like to send a great big THANK YOU! to Duncan Galvanizing and Minnesota Diversified Industries, both of whom have recently supported our project in the form of donated goods and services.

We can’t realize this project alone, so please consider donating and encourage friends and family to do the same.  We’ve got a long way to go, but with your help, we’re confident we can meet our goal of launching the farm stand before the end of the harvest season.

Stay tune for more updates as we start to pick up momentum — this is just the beginning!

-John

Gearing Up

Now this is exciting:  BR+A+CE is proud to unveil our finished design for the mobile farm stand!  Our design is capable of carrying 7 CSA bins full of delicious produce and features an integrated canopy that also functions as a lid for the bins when in transit.  In designing the stand’s frame and canopy, we drew inspiration from leaves, landforms, and other natural structures.

Part of the fun of the process has been seeing the full spectrum of BR+A+CE’s creative and community-minded members and partners combine their expertise to create something much greater than the sum of its parts.  We’ve been fortunate to be aided by Vivien and the Vigorous Youth group at Mattapan Food & Fitness Coalition who have sketched with us, taught us about their community, and most importantly, inspired us!  Mark and Judy at Brookwood Community Farm helped us imagine a farm stand that can truly stand alone; Joshua Kampa of Arc-En-Ciel Studio and MIT student Nick Polansky worked to aid in developing a design that’s as nice to ride as it is to look at; Architects Hansy Better and Anthony Piermarini of Studio Luz have helped guide the process through regular design reviews, as well.

Mykel and I are more than pleased to turn the page on the design phase and begin working with our fabricator and partners to make the stand a reality.  We think the stand will be a beautiful addition to Blue Hill Avenue — now let us know what you think in the comments!

– John

Still cranking away

Mykel and I first sat down at the beginning of June to envision what the mobile farm stand would look like. Three weeks, two pads of bristol paper, and countless cups of coffee later, the farm stand design is nearly finalized!

During our daily charrette sessions, we worked to find a balance between an iconic design and a functional cargo vehicle capable of carrying 500 pounds of produce. Our initial models and sketches were heavy on tricky mechanized components and all-around, well, heavy.  After consulting our on-call bicycle guru, Joshua Kampa of Arc-En-Ciel Studio, and MIT graduate architecture student Nick Polansky, we worked to minimize moving parts and overall weight while maximizing its visual presence.

Our final scheme utilizes large hinging cases capable of safely transporting 11 CSA bins of produce or displaying six of those bins simultaneously in a market-style configuration.  We’ve also been able to incorporate work tables for the vendor, and an integrated double-sided canopy that also functions as a continuous lid for the cases in transport.

Boston is in the midst of a certifiable heat wave, but we’re not hitting the beaches yet — next up is fundraising, fabrication, and our August launch in Mattapan.  Blue Hill Avenue, here we come!

– John