CONTEXT

The exterior improvements to this local café were both a response to restaurant dining constraints created by Covid-19 and an effort to improve the fabric of a downtown district. Founded in 2005, One World Café sits at the nexus between downtown Moscow and the University of Idaho. It is also part of a crucial intersection along Main Street that serves as a threshold for farmer’s markets and parades. Because of this, it has become a landmark social space for the community. It experiences heavy pedestrian traffic year-round from students and locals alike. Amid the Covid-19 shut-down in 2020, the owners of One World Café become the sole tenants of their building. T hey wanted to renovate the exterior in an intentional way; mitigating short-term crisis concerns by offering distanced outdoor dining while also creating a more inviting and cohesive street presence.

PROCESS

Idaho Design Build partnered with the owners and the city to pilot a removable sidewalk cafe that improved on more typical Covid responses which are often cheap, disposable, unsightly and even dangerous and do little to improve their environment. The design combined an exterior recladding with a series of outdoor seating areas. This project was developed over a period of 13 weeks, with 3 weeks of on-site construction. Regular client interaction became key to the success of the project. Students went through multiple rounds of design, full-scale prototyping, cost analysis and drawings so that clients could evaluate progress and offer informed feedback. This ensured that project goals were being met and provided the students with insight into real world working conditions and project constraints.

OUTCOMES

The owners expressed their need for the spaces to be both safe and socially supportive. Reflecting this, the design broke up the narrow exterior of the building into four primary zones of use which were tied to adjacent social functions within the building. Casual dining and community workspace would be supported by a lounge with built-in seating, an arrangement of new furniture, and an ADA height bar, while fold away booths would accommodate an increased need for separated group dining during operation and overnight and offseason storage.

The design is intentional in the creation of a transition space between the foot traffic of downtown Moscow and the café. More than a mere buffer, the sidewalk café is the city’s front porch. It serves the café’s business needs while acting as an informal public gathering space for the community.

IMPACT

These students were uniquely equipped to take on this impactful project for their community during Covid-19. Through careful processing and use of materials, they were able to provide significant cost savings. Through immersive observation and direct engagement, they provided a design that would best support an important part of the Moscow community. One World Café has become a space that instills a sense of normalcy in the short-term, while serving as a prototype for adaptable outdoor dining that adds to the quality and character of its place

noah anderson

joshua bianco

belanna blackburn

grayson boldt

george bowler

west chalfant

brenna church

koen conner

marco delgadillo

trinity dion

ryan hart

monica higbee

kyler lee

riley leighton

zack maughan

lucia osborne

dom pera

sajja piya

tristan sahwell

kurtis zylstra

Scott Lawrence, assistant professor

LaRae Tomera, teaching assistant

Brett Carter, teaching assistant

Honorable Mention

AIA Northwest and Pacific Region Student Design Awards

Collaborators

One World Cafe

City of Moscow Planning and Public Works - Sidewalk Cafe Pilot

David Schmidt - CAA Technical Shop Director

Doug and Melanie Wasankari

Dave Harlan Audio/Visual

“Community Engaged Design Build at the Nexus of Crisis Response and Material Scarcity”.

Conference Poster and Presentation.

Arch 22 - TU Delft, Netherlands.

Accepted and Forthcoming, August 2022

“Building a Better World”

Cabeza, Garrett. - Moscow-Pullman Daily News

May 17, 2021