A PROPOSED RESTAURANT AND FOOD HUB

(Introducing Responsive Architecture as an architectural approach to create symbiotic

relationship between environment and users of Restaurant and Food Hub in

Aerotropolis Gensan.)

RESEARCH BY:

ARNIE MAY B. VILDA

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for

Arch. 511 (Thesis Research Writing)

Thesis Coordinator:

AR. RIZALDY CRUZ

 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

1.1.1 INTRODUCTION

General Santos City International Airport was established last March 5, 1996. It is

known to be one of the largest airport in the Island of Mindanao where it can serve a large

number of people going in and out of the city. (INSERT BRIEF HISTORY OF GSC

AIRPORT)

(INSERT EXPLAINATION OF AEROTROPOLIS CONCEPT APPROACHING

GSC)

( APPLICATION IN GSC AERO)

It is said that this airport can be an international gateway of all possibilities might

happen and Ms. Janet Lopoz the MinDa (Mindanao Development Authority)

Undersecretary, revealed the construction and development of General Santos City

Aerotropolis with a 200 hectares of property surrounding the General Santos International

Airport that will house leisure, malls, trade zones, residential, hotels, cultural, convention,

logistics, distribution and restaurants. This concept was repurposed by Dr. John D.

Kasarda in which he stated that it is a respond to new economy’s demands for

connectivity, speed and agility. (Kasarda 2008c).

In General Santos City, it is a concept of “a city with in a city”, as people come and

go, people will look to find what the city can showcase to its people and visitors especially
what to eat and where to eat. Given that, busy schedule often diminish the amount of time

to prepare food. Disrupting that routine, as Restaurant and Food Hub are merged it will

showcase both local and regional foods and any other hubs that usually served within

minutes of ordering because today convenience becomes a habit and a perceive

necessity. It is reasonable to believe that most of us, want to make the world a better

place to live, work and enjoy. Architecture has a huge role in history of every generation.

As technology came it became a valuable consideration in shaping society especially if it

is incorporated with Architecture that will provide the users a sustainable imperative to

respond in the environmental conditions. In order to give the residents and visitors a

comfortable environment with advance technology, it must be needed to transform from

being functional to intelligent.

1.1.2 BRIEF HISTORY OF A RESTAURANT

Dining out has had a long history, the place in where people eat and buy a

prepared meal has varied from a tavern to an inn to a restaurant. In Acient times, the

need for public eateries was firmly established as far back as the Roman Empire and

Acient China. “After the fall of Rome, eating usually took place once again in an inn or

tavern, but by 1200 there were cooking houses in London, Paris and elsewhere in Europe,

where cooked food could be purchased but with no seating” (Lundberg, 1989).

In mid-eighteenth century the first establishment that would consider as

“restaurant” was originated at Paris crediting to a man named Boulanger who in 1765.

“Centuries before a restaurant was a place to eat,…a restaurant was a thing to eat, a

restorative broth” (Spang, 2000). The restaurant as we know it today, is a place where

people come to eat and drink and socialize, is credited to the French Revolution. Unlike
taverns and inns, restaurants in Middle Ages were served had costly and luxurious

designs. It wasn’t until the mid-1700’s that the birth of the restaurant took place.

200 years later, numerous restaurant exists and continually rising. Since the 20th

Century, the designs has evolved and undergone significant changes that leads designs

into different themes such as Romantic Tuscan or with different ethnic cuisines and etc,.

However, with this restaurant business being so successful, many other restaurants

opened, and the idea spread to other countries.

1.1.3 DEFINITION OF A FOOD HUB

According to Department of Agriculture (DA), as the primary components of a food

hub, it must have aggregation and distributions of products for wholesale markets,

coordination of food supply chain activities and permanent facilities for processing and

any food related activities. Food hubs can act as producer or consumer cooperatives,

produce auctions, buying clubs, private or non-profit wholesale packers and distributors,

retailers, or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs (Day-Farnsworth et al.,

2009).

The National Food Hub Collaboration (hereafter referred to as the Collaboration)

is the most widely used definition of a food hub. It recognizes the basic, regional food

aggregation and distribution function of food hubs: It is defined as “A regional food hub

is a business or organization that actively manages the aggregation, distribution, and

marketing of source identified food products primarily from local and regional producers

to strengthen their ability to satisfy wholesale, retail, and institutional demand” (Barham
et al., 2012). At times, its one main goal is to include benefiting multiple groups such as

framers, consumers and workers with in the same structure.

According to the Regional Food Hub Advisory Council it is serve to support small

to mid-sized producers, improve food security, spark regional food system growth, and

educate the public on food systems (Melone et al., 2010).

There are wide variety of different types of food hub, while all food hubs are

engaged in the aggregation and distribution of food, they approach this function through

many different methods of operation. First is Direct-to-Consumer in which farmers are

directly connected to the community members or usually pick up items from various

drop-off locations. Second, Wholesale Food Hubs in which it distributes foods in other

intermediates such as restaurant, schools, institutions and retail stores. It uses packing

shed or warehouse located close to major production areas. And lastly, Hybrid Food

Hub is the combination of the two said food hub models. It sell products to wholesale

clients at the same time running a direct-to-consumer business.

Purchasing from a food hub provides buyers convenient location, instead of

having to go to many individual farmers and it is developed to in a purpose of

connecting producers both small and large scale as well as individual consumers in

efficient way.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The amount of time invested by people to locate places of food and the outstanding

challenges posed by environmental conditions strengthens the proposal of Restaurant

and Food Hub in Aerotropolis Gensan, Introducing Responsive Architecture as an

architectural approach to create symbiotic relationship between environment and users.

1.3 OBJECTIVES AND GOALS

 To provide an efficient and comfortable environment setting for workers, visitors

and for the people of General Santos City.

 To design structures that can adjust to the changes in the needs of the user as

well as in environmental changes with the help of suitable technologies.

 To apply fully the incorporate every principle of Responsive Architecture.

1.4 SIGINIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will be a significant endeavor in building a Restaurant and Food Hub as it

can play a bigger role in the community and economic development of Aerotropolis

Gensan where it seeks to integrate architecture with responsive technologies as a

suitable approach that will need to respond to the fluctuating needs of the user and

environment. It aims to provide a good food in a comfortable and flexible setting so that

people can enjoy a sociable meal.

The sectors that can benefits the study are:

To the readers, to present greater insights that will help understand and widened their

knowledge.

To the investors,

To the community, that it may provide bigger job opportunities due to the increasing

demand of employment.
To the future researchers, who wish to have similar study, that it may serve as their

reference that will lead them to open new development and to conduct another study.

1.5 SCOPES AND LIMITATIONS

In this study, gathered ways of planning in designing a Restaurant and Food Hub,

will be applied to attain a good architectural outcome in which principles, process and

practices are highly studied by the researcher. This study will only focus on the adaptation

of changes of the needs of users to its environmental changes, spatial needs and proper

facilities that suites the conditions of user’s activities.

Though faults and problems are there, the researcher are brave enough to identify

and solve each problem. However, this study is limited only in planning and designing,

financial budgeting of the facilities is not covered also program activities, management

and operation practices are not included in the study.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Mindanao Development Authority (MinDa)-

National Food Hub Collaboration-

Regional Food Hub Council-

Deparment of Agriculture (DA)-

Romantic Tuscan-