Join AIA Redwood Empire for an in-depth tour of the Ceres Community Project’s new 19,611-square-foot facility in Southwest Santa Rosa. This project serves as a model for “Architecture as a Catalyst,” functioning as both a high-volume commercial production kitchen and a designated Community Resilience Center. The Center can help prepare the community for emergencies and disasters and support community members when those things happen, including extreme heat days. We will discuss the design process of multipurpose and public facing spaces.
Participants will explore the technical and design challenges of transitioning to a 100% electric commercial kitchen (including hot water for large-scale commercial kitchen), the integration of solar microgrid for emergency continuity (60% coverage from solar and full battery microgrid that can operate for 10 days without power), and the spatial requirements of a multi-generational “teaching and production” environment. We will discuss how the facility’s design supports its mission to quadruple meal production while serving as a community refuge during climate-related power shutoffs and emergencies.
Location: 1237 Apollo Way, Santa Rosa, CA
Learning Objectives
At the end of this course, participants will be able to:
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Analyze Decarbonization Strategies: Identify the design considerations and equipment specifications required to transition a high-volume commercial kitchen to 100% electric, focusing on energy efficiency and carbon footprint reduction.
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Evaluate Net-Zero & Microgrid Integration: Describe how the integration of onsite solar and microgrid battery backup systems provides 10-day operational continuity, and discuss the architectural implications of designing for regional disaster resilience.
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Examine Universal Design in Multi-Use Spaces: Identify spatial planning strategies that allow a professional production environment to safely double as a youth-led teaching kitchen and a public community resource center.
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Assess Commercial Scaling & Workflow: Discuss the architectural program required to scale food production from 200,000 to 800,000 meals annually, including the logistical requirements for cold storage, dry storage, and medically tailored meal prep.
