The Village at La Floresta

Going to Market was once at the heart of community life. This project reinvigorates the market square for a new millennium. Four‐sided, Contemporary‐Agrarian Architecture: Like a traditional market square, a lively bustle exists on all sides, from the intersection of major arterial roads to the flow of pedestrian traffic from the orchard parking field. Though contemporary in massing, the site’s agrarian history helped shape the understated elegance of the architecture. Deep eaves, wood plank accents and metal slat awnings bring the past into the present. The Whole Foods anchor features a broad metal canopy which curves in all three dimensions, as if fashioned by the breeze itself. The nexus of this ground‐up retail and restaurant destination is the market oasis. This circular plaza is flanked by a large‐scale catenary sculpture which the breeze sets in motion. The center draws from the cultural past to realize a vision for a community‐oriented culture of tomorrow.