Socio Cultural
The diversity of our multi-cultural society brings vibrancy and complexity to our cities and regions nationwide. Organizations everywhere are working to promote and celebrate the history and unique customs of their communities. BNMO is taking an active role in helping nonprofits and cultural associations express their missions through space to foster pride and preserve meaningful traditions.
Akugbe Oretin Development and Urban Agriculture Center
The project, Akugbe-Oretin Development Center, is a new construction community, business development and community urban agriculture center aiming to provide programming to empower the local community of Nigerian diaspora as well as the Englewood neighborhood. Akugbe Oretin Development Association strives to provide business and economic development opportunities for their community while honoring and promoting the great traditions of the African American community amongst their membership from different demographics and backgrounds.
As part of their missions and to help the community thrive, the organization will incorporate urban agriculture strategies by an indoor community garden, to help alleviate the fresh food shortage in the neighborhood caused by lack of local grocery stores. It will be run on a volunteer basis.
The project is a 7,300 sf new construction, replacing the existing outdated structure, to house a large event and business incubator space, and an urban agriculture aeroponic farm. BNMO Design is the design architect and provides grant writing services to the organization to assist with the project funding.
Protecting Culture and History
The design of the cultural center is simple and modern in appearance. White brick on the lower level of the building is topped by a subtle triangular pattern on the upper level, picking up on traditional African motifs. Curves in the brick walls add to the facade dynamic. Windows are placed at the upper level of the building to bring daylight in.
The main interior space of the building will house an exhibition and banquet hall for large cultural events, such as film screenings, art exhibits, and ceremonies. A flexible staging area will support performances and can be pushed into storage to create extra space. These areas will also be rentable to help generate revenue that funds AOC’s operations.
Features such as heavy timber construction and electric power will help the building achieve Net Zero. The design will enable a dynamic but safe and flexible space for socializing and preservation of culture, all on a limited budget.
