Building Plan. Photo: DesignGroup
ing. Collaboration and meeting spaces were strategically located at the lower levels to help engage the student community, improving culinary education and better recruitment/retention for potential future students and faculty. An adjacent, supplementary program was identified that reinforced the hub: a 80-seat teaching restaurant, a bakery with cafe, and on-display production kitchens were all provided to draw students and locals in at the lower levels. Upper-floor teaching kitchens with sculleries, a mixology studio with integrated wet bar, and a culinary theatre further enhanced the notion that wherever you were in Mitchell Hall opportunity would be just around the corner. “Mitchell Hall is a wonderful example of the work done every day in Columbus to create a vibrant and collaborative community,” said Lorne Eisen, RA, LEED AP BD+C and principal at DesignGroup. Providing Longevity Construction for the building followed suit, striving to make connec- tions between food waste reduction and facility sustainability. Spear- headed by Mitchell Hall’s Director of Operations Joshua Wickham, a food recovery hierarchy pyramid acted as a plan to identify preferable routes for responsible food production and usage. The pyramid under- scored multiple programmatic elements for design, including stem-to-
Photo: EPA Food Recovery
root usage, responsibly moving food between departments, providing locations for both internal staff family meals, and food donations to area shelters. Given the strong partnership between Columbus State, DesignGroup, and the construction manager Gilbane, responsible recy- cling and food composting was tackled well before project completion. As responsible food resourcing improved design, the design team’s commitment to sustainability resulted in Mitchell Hall being awarded with a LEEDv4 Certified status, earning 46 points in total. The project scored particularly well on many items that were addressed as key fea- tures in design, including indoor water use reduction, enhanced and en- velope commissioning, optimizing energy performance and providing quality views throughout to improve user experience. 10 of 11 points in the Water Efficiency category were earned, highlighting the need for responsible water usage throughout the project. As a site, in addition to delivering diverse uses to the Discovery Dis- trict, Columbus State contracted with local transit authorities to pro- vide immediate access to Mitchell Hall. Previous parking was removed from the surrounding site as result and the Mt. Vernon quadrangle subsequently grew in scale, opening the landscape for vegetation and pervious pavement. Providing Opportunity Through innovation, collaboration, and planning for equity, connec- tions and longevity, Mitchell Hall has achieved a better future than what could be envisioned fifty years ago. Along with being a central hub for the campus and district, and improving social equity in the Discovery District, Mitchell Hall has also become home to the annual DesignColumbus event in which designers across Ohio come to share best practices in sustainability and design. Bolstered by integration and strong partnerships, it is a fitting home for this event. Opportunity, it seems, is always on the menu.
Culinary Hub. Photo: © Brad Feinknopf
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April 2021
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