The new
Lansing City Market's official grand opening last week drew more than 4,000 people. The Downtown market is at full
capacity and features a variety of goods ranging from hot prepared food to produce, fish to art.
Studio Intrigue Architects of
REO Town designed the new building.
"SIA started working on the initial design sketches for the market in late 2007," says David VanderKlok of SIA. "We worked alongside architect Fidel Delgado from the
USDA. Fidel helps communities all over the United States with farmers' and city markets. His wealth of experience was key as he had observed the hurdles, the feasibility challenges, the struggles and the victories of others.”
Input was also gathered at meetings with the community to find out what they wanted in a new market. "We found the vendor/community comfort with an airy,
Basilican-profiled structure that was complimented by various site features."
VanderKlok had a few features he wanted to make sure made to the final version of the building. Circular customer flow and natural light were only a couple of them.
"The ability to take one step into the front door and be able to take in the entire market" and "interaction with the river trail," were others, according to VanderKlok.
Source: David VanderKlok
Writer:
Daniel J. Hogan
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