Foodservice Consultant Magazine: Designing for Achievement, Learning for Life

The Ghafari-designed Harper Woods School District College + Career Institute – which features an ambitious culinary arts program – was the subject of a recent Foodservice Consultant article, “Designing for Achievement, Learning for Life”. The school district sought to create an environment where students can pursue a variety of career paths. They envisioned a Career Institute where they could provide career and technical education to instill in their students professional skills, people skills, and the ability to collaborate as a team to compete in a global society.

Programs offered within the facility include culinary arts, auto trades, computer systems networking, cybersecurity, graphic design, and a sound studio for radio, television, and film. The culinary arts area is centrally located in the 28,000 SF facility – formerly home to a big-box electronics retailer – with a 1,300 SF kitchen and an adjacent shared classroom.

“Harper Woods Schools wanted to display the culinary arts program, and specifically the activity going on in the kitchen and food prep area,” said Scott Hahn, AIA, Ghafari’s project director. “[Our] design [aimed] to accommodate students and set it up as a ‘real world’ environment. The students would be learning in an environment similar to what they would experience after graduation, working in an actual foodservice establishment.”

Access the full article here.