WesleyLife – Meals on Wheels
CommercialAwareness
A welcoming front-porch-inspired café acts as the new face of the Meals on Wheels program by providing awareness about food insecurity in the elderly, wellness, and quality food that is good for you. The design clearly differentiates Meals on Wheels from WesleyLife, which shares the building. This space raises awareness of volunteer opportunities with the program, as well as allowing the community to witness the organization working to address food insecurity in older adults in the Des Moines metro.
Intergenerational Community
Create opportunities for spontaneous connection in an inviting and approachable space where everyone feels comfortable. As people from different generations move through the space, they will want to linger and mingle, forging new relationships and connecting with their diverse community. The goal of improved community wellness informs large and small decisions, from menu items to finishes to space planning.
Neighborhood Integration
Design a space that is both unique, new walkable destination and an extension of the greater context of the neighborhood and nearby Drake campus. Traffic and pedestrian circulation patterns will inform decision and design to provide the greatest benefit to the larger neighborhood.