On June 14, RKA led a charrette for 44 MOFB staff members to investigate design options for their new facility at 3960 Brookham Drive in Grove City. The charrette — an exercise in graphic brainstorming — allowed staff to reflect on limitations imposed by the spatial organization and work flow within their current building, as well as identify opportunities for improvement in the new space. Equipped with floor plans, participants divided into 6 diverse teams initially composed of members from all levels of FoodBank operations. Provided with a set of rectangles sized to scale and color-coded to represent the building’s various program elements, teams were allotted 30-minutes to lay out proposed design schemes, trace the resulting spatial organization with similarly colored ink, and finally display plans along the walls for presentation. By first working cross- vocationally, teams were compelled to take a more holistic approach to planning; in addition to considering and prioritizing the needs of the various programatic functions, participants proposed workplace lifestyle changes that will make the FoodBank a greener, healthier, and ultimately more successful initiative.

After reorganizing by department at the first charrette’s close, however, teams submitted final proposals with a more detailed approach to planning from the perspective of each group’s unique level of operation.

By combining the best elements of both exercises, RKA will be able to create the plan that not only responds to the needs of the individual departments, but also best provides for a comfortable workplace environment – one in which the FoodBank can continue to live up to its calling by feeding the hungry.