Market Halls

B A L D A U F

C A T T O N

V O N

E C K A R T S B E R G

MARKET HALLS
B a l d a u f C at t o n V o n Eck a rt sberg Architects

1527

STOCKTON

STREET

4TH

FLOOR

SAN

FRANCISCO,

CA

94133

415.398.6538

415.398.6521

W W W. B C VA R C H . C O M

C ONTENTS
INTRODUCTION MARKET HALLS Ferry Building Marketplace Bend Mercato Oxbow Public Market Jack London Marketplace Guasti Public Market FERRY BUILDING MARKETPLACE: A CASE STUDY History Design Competition Precedent Studies The Final Design Construction Tenanting SLOW FOOD NATION

SLOW FOOD NATION: WELCOME PAVILION

SLOW FOOD NATION: VICTORY GARDEN

SLOW FOOD NATION: GREEN KITCHEN

i n trodu ction

America is rediscovering the power of Market Halls as a vibrant node of urban life. Market Halls have been a building type that has existed throughout history and only lost in the later half of the twentieth century as America became suburbanized and the supermarket fulfilled the traditional role of the public market. The public market affords more than a place where various producers come to sell their wares. It functions to create a community of producers and customers in which values are shared, ideas fostered and communicated. Baldauf Catton von Eckartsberg Architects (BCV) is fortunate to have designed several significant markets. These markets represent our continuing exploration of this historic typology. At the heart of our process is a fascination with working simultaneously at multiple scales - from the exquisite detailing of a piece of furniture or the design of a small stall in a market place to an urban design plan. We believe that each scale of work enriches the other; in fact, it is only truly possible to do great work when the other scales are fully explored. An urban plan lacks nuance and sophistication without the understanding of the small details and how they truly function, while the smallest detail at its best is a reflection of, and fundamental to, the design of which it is a part. BCV believes that the sustainable food movement, as embodied by the Slow Food Movement and the New Ruralism, has much to add to the discussion of sustainability in architecture. These movements celebrate the

FERRY BUILDING MARKETPLACE

BCV ARCHITECTS

interdependency of the environment and our use of that environment, while seeing the art of coming together to share the bounty of the harvests as a joyous act. BCV is proud to have organized the Bay Area design community in support of Slow Food Nation 08, the first major Slow Food event hosted in the United States which attracted over 80,000 visitors. The AIA San Francisco recognized this effort with a Special Achievement Award that reads in part: The designers created an unparalleled event that was as much a visual delight as a taste festival. Attendees at Slow Food Nation left understanding the life enriching benefits of a sustainable approach to food and life, as well as the tools and personal connections to implement that vision not to mention full stomachs, warm hearts and a memorable experience of community.
FERRY BUILDING MARKETPLACE BCV ARCHITECTS

MISTRAL

TAYLOR'S REFRESHER

OYSTERS FROM HOG ISLAND

MAR K E T H A L L S

The food shed made explicit

GOLDEN GATE FERRY TERMINAL

PROMENADE

Taking shape today in the Ferry Building is a peoples marketplace rivaling the worlds leading urban markets: Harrods in London, Peck in Milan, Pike Place Market in Seattle. The waterfront landmark that for a century served as San Franciscos portal is set to reemerge as the liveliest of public places, with a market serving residents and travelers alike, offering numerous ways to shop and eat in the most dramatic of settings. Shops large and small celebrate food in all its forms, offering everything from artisan cheeses to the freshest of local fish. Restaurants and cafs anchor the buildings four corners with their unparalleled views, and the magic of the marketplace flourishes along the 660-footlong central Nave an animated indoor street market built for a city that embraces food as nourishment of both body and soul.
THE EMBARCADERO FARMERS MARKET

FARMERS MARKET

F E R RY B U I L D I NG MARKETPLACE san francisco, california

SW INDUSTRIAL WAY

MILL VIEW DRIVE

The design for the Mercato project was inspired by its proximity to several industrial buildings in Bend, Oregon as it is sited between the downtown and the old industrial area which is currently experiencing revitalization as a retail destination. The building will be brick with a steel-shed metal roof and large windows and doors all reminiscent of industrial buildings. The project is actually composed of several buildings to meet the smaller scale of the buildings of the downtown and to create a center at the ground-level for the mixed-use activities which Mercato will house. The first floor will hold a Europeanstyle food marketplace with a double height arcade with outdoor dining with views to the mountains, the Deschutes River and the neighboring historic industrial buildings. The condominiums are arranged in a loft style with tall ceilings and outdoor spaces to appeal to contemporary active lifestyles and the appreciation of spectacular views to the Deschutes National Forest.

B E N D M E R C AT O bend, oregon

rIVER BANK

river deck

BCV Architects approach to sustainability is to look at the issue through multiple lenses not only seeking engineering solutions but also responding to the ethical, cultural, social, economic and historic implications of a project and its place in the environment. BCVs Marketplace designs, including the San Francisco Ferry Building and the Oxbow Public Market, reflect this approach. The Oxbow Public Market, located in Napas Oxbow District adjacent to COPIA, The American Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts, houses a specialty marketplace showcasing local artisan food and wine producers. The Market Hall, a simple, elegant lowslung shed building, and the adjacent brick clad Wine Pavilion take their formal cues from classic agricultural buildings. An elevated promenade ties directly to the proposed Napa River Trail and overlook the Napa River with outdoor seating encouraging public activities and interactions among the community.

O X B O W P U B L I C MARKET napa, california

EAST PROMENADE FARM STANDS

Jack London Market is a two-story Public Market located in Oaklands Jack London Squares newly rejuvenated waterfront. The Market will be a destination for area neighbors, hundreds of daily on-site workers, residents of the greater Bay Area, and millions of Northern California visitors. The 72,000 sf Market will be the largest of its kind on the West Coast, housing 70 vendors selling fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, cheeses, wine and specialty products, with an emphasis on local and sustainable practice. The Markets second floor will feature cafes, restaurants and culinary shops. Restaurants and cafes in the Market will enjoy water views while showcasing Market vendors products. Opening in 2010, this values-driven marketplace and food destination will adhere to ethical principals of responsible behavior toward the environment, working practices and Oaklands local, diverse community. The project will incorporate core values of sustainability, innovation, support of local producers and retailers, involvement in the local community, education and diversity. Market architecture and construction will make use of sustainable materials and building practices.

J A C K L O N D O N MARKET oakland, california

The 50 acre Historic Guasti District in Ontario, California was once a thriving winery town founded in 1904, developed around what became the largest vineyard and winery operation in the world in its time. Framed by century-old trees, the renovation of175,000 sf of existing historic stone winery buildings will become the nucleus of a larger master-planned food and entertainment destination. BCV Architects is designing the adaptive reuse of one 73,000 sf historic winery building into the Guasti Public Market, slated to also house a new winery tasting room, a destination restaurant, and the Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge. While preserving and restoring the integrity of the existing stone building, BCV is creating contemporary and complementary architectural insertions at building entries, retail storefronts, and the interior Market framework to produce a dramatic backdrop for a dynamic and eclectic mix of food vendors and tenants.

G U A ST I P U B L I C MARKET ontario, california

F E R RY BUILDING

MAR K E T P L A C E : A Case Study

San Franciscos Ferry Building was constructed in 1898 to the designs of noted architect Arthur Page Brown. The Colusa limestone building replaced an earlier wooden terminal building located on the same spot which is the terminus for ferry service around the bay and the portal of San Francisco at the foot of Market Street (San Franciscos Main Street). Importantly, the building was the starting and end point of a journey across America. It was from here that passengers reached the Transcontinental Railroad in Oakland from which the railroads ran a ferry service. At its peak usage in the early decades of the 20th Century, the Ferry Building served more people per day than any building West of the Mississippi. With the construction of the Golden Gate and the Bay Bridges, ferry traffic declined and ultimately ceased in the late 1950s. The building was converted into an office building with most of its public spaces being cut up and filled in. The bay-facing side of the building, where there once were ferry slips, was closed in and the building began decades of an insular life that removed it from every day life in the city. The separation of the building from the city was dramatically compounded by the construction of the Embarcadero Freeway which occurred at the same time. This two story elevated freeway ran in front of the building, effectively hiding the building from the city. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake structurally weakened the freeway, giving the impetus for the removal of the much hated structure. After the removal of the freeway a farmers market sprang up in the space left vacant in front of the building. Over the next decade there were many debates over what should occur at the Ferry Building culminating in a Request for Proposals from the Port of San Francisco in 1997.

F E R RY B U I L D I NG: HISTORY san francisco, california

BCV Architects was founded in 1997 and among our first projects was the construction, for the developer Chris Meany, of a block of stores in downtown Walnut Creek, California, a thriving suburban town east of San Francisco that has become the center of East Bay retail. The project knits together the historic downtown with a thriving outdoor mall and has been the subject of numerous awards. At the time this project was being completed, Chris asked us to join his team, as the Marketplace Architect, for the design/development competition for the renovation of the Ferry Building. The team included SMWM, who was responsible for the overall coordination of the project, and the upper office floors and Page &Turnbull, as the Historic Preservation Architects. Our proposal envisioned the restoration and recreation of the 600 foot long interior nave that was the defining feature and had been lost when it had been cut up into office floors. Importantly, we also envisioned opening the ground floor up to this space creating a dramatic three story space. Originally, the ground floor space had been used for baggage handling and passengers entered on the second level. Ferry riders would transit through the building to a new terminal on the waters edge. The design envisioned a wonderful market hall that complimented and extended the farmers market, creating for the first time a central place that would celebrate the area food culture that has become one of the defining art forms of America. In 1999 the William Wilson/Wilson-Meany team was selected over four other competitors by the Port of San Francisco and confirmed by the city.

F E R RY B U I L D I NG: DESIGN san COMPETITION francisco, california

Although BCV had developed a fairly complete design for the market hall at the time of the competition, we believed the project deserved a careful study of precedents now that it was to become a reality. The Design Team decided that a trip to Europe would be invaluable for research and background. Topics to be studied ranged from the urban, how the buildings and their functions integrate into the life of the city, to the technical, such as shop size and servicing. We explored the historic markets of London, Paris, Milan, and Venice. Although no longer a true food market, the physical dimensions and architectural character of Covent Garden became a touchstone. The relationship of Paris markets and the urban fabric along with the citys thriving street markets taught as much about how the building could function in the city. Hediard and Fouchon, also in Paris, along with Pecks in Milan, inspired us in the ways that food can be merchandised. The Rialto Fish Market taught us important lessons about how to engage the waters edge.

F E R RY B U I L D I NG: PRECEDENTS STUDY san francisco, california

The design for the Ferry Building seeks to weave together the historic fabric of the original building and new construction into a seamless whole. We want to celebrate the historic character of the building and breathe new life into it. The ground floor nave is defined by tiled archways and metal gates on each stall. The tile relates to the historic brick above - the gates to the buildings steel trusses. The design purposely narrowed the dimension of the ground floor nave to create a more intimate space which allows the second floor to have a grand promenade around the space. Three pass-throughs cut across the building from the Embarcadero to the water with a sign band celebrating towns and cities that are part of the bay region food shed. The goal was to create a real market hall that would come to life each day and could be washed down at the end of the day.

F E R RY B U I L D I NG: FINAL DESIGN san francisco, california

The photographs of the construction process at the Ferry Building reveal that the project was partially a deconstruction and work of archeology, as well as a traditional building project. The floors that were insensitively inserted on the 1950s were removed. Brick arches were recreated, defining the new market hall.

F E R RY B U I L D I NG: CONSTRUCTION san francisco, california

Great market halls are great both because of their architecture and because of the vitality breathed into them by their tenants. BCV was intimately involved in working with Chris Meany, our visionary client, in the tenanting of the Ferry Building from the conceptualization of the types of tenants, their recruitment, the creation of the tenant criteria, in many cases the design of their stores, and in all cases the coordination of their work. From the outset it was our belief that the project must address the discerning San Francisco food world and that if we did this that visitors to the city would find the project compelling as well. We also believed that with the strong architectural character of the building as a frame we could inspire the tenants to be very creative and that their creativity would add a layer of dynamism to the building. To convince the tenants of this, we created an inspirational watercolor sketchbook that served both as a tenant recruitment tool and as a set of design guidelines. It was important for us to inspire and help the many tenants who had never created stores before. BCV is pleased to have designed many of the tenant spaces in the building including Hog Island Oyster Co., Ferry Plaza Seafood, and Taylors Refresher. We are equally proud of having helped the many other talented firms who designed spaces push the limits of creativity and add to the dynamism of the building. We are pleased that we were able to inspire a high degree of variety in the designs, including the signage.

F E R RY B U I L D I NG: TENANTING san francisco, california

SLO W F O O D N AT I O N 08

market Place

Slow Food Nation is a subsidiary non-profit of Slow Food USA and part of the international Slow Food movement. It was created to organize the first-ever American collaborative gathering to unite the growing sustainable food movement and introduce thousands of people to food that is good, clean and fair. It is only natural that the Bay Area architecture and design community should be so excited about helping to create the first Slow Food Nation event here in The United States. The Slow Food Movement provides an ethical and cultural dimension to the complex issues of sustainability that are on the forefront of the challenges that we are confronting. As designers beyond this Slow Food celebrates community and the joy of sitting down together to enjoy a meal prepared from sustainable, locally produced products that are good, clean, and fair. It is appropriate that this event be designed in a collaborative spirit by so many talented members of the local design community.

S L O W F O O D Nsan ATION francisco, california

For Slow Food Nation 08, a four day festival held in San Francisco, BCV worked closely with Chez Panisse to create The Green Kitchen, a demonstration cooking area. The Green Kitchen was the vision of sustainable food champion Alice Waters. In an entirely pro-bono effort, staff from BCV led the design team, assisted with procurement of materials, and volunteered with Terra Nova Industries and Stockham Construction during the installation. As the event sought to teach attendees about the benefits of local and organic food, the design sought to inspire with the beauty of sustainable materials. Built almost literally on a shoestring, the large room was made of reclaimed woods and salvaged windows which were returned to their lenders after the event for use in other projects. The 1200sf kitchen accommodated about 50 attendees within the space and a ledge ran along the exterior of the space to allow for overflow. Food luminaries from throughout the United States, including Alice Waters, Paul Bertolli, David Chang, Traci Des Jardins and Poppy Tooker, presented simple recipes which featured the use of organic, seasonal foods. For those who missed the Slow Food Nation event, the demonstrations were taped and are available at alicewatersgreenkitchen.com.

G R E E N K I T C H EN san francisco, california