Lexington Cooperative Market

The Lexington Co-op commissioned TRM Architect in the spring of 2003 to design a new facility along the thriving Elmwood business corridor. The programming phase began with meetings to obtain input from the Executive manager, the Owner’s representative, the principal of IRD Corporation, the Cooperative's Board of Directors and general membership, the proposed site’s neighbors, and a host of community organizations. Following initial meetings, proposals were submitted and adjusted according to feedback from the various stakeholders.

One of the challenges of the design has been to address the desires to blend with the context of Elmwood Avenue while simultaneously having a clear, outspoken presence in the community. The resulting proposal seeks to reduce the scale of the footprint by proposing a structure of complementary building components forming an asymmetrical, balanced composition. The first of three primary components is a two-story masonry block anchoring the composition to the corner, built right up to the sidewalk, formally similar to other Elmwood structures.

The second piece is a one-story masonry structure with a lower profile, which steps down the market’s visual scale and allows for light and air to reach adjacent neighbors. The third component is a two-story metal panel skinned volume which encloses and defines the main grocery sales floor. This contemporary volume joins together the two masonry volumes into one whole dynamic structure. Key to the design process were the mission and philosophy of the Cooperative.

The façade along Elmwood was designed to be visually and physically transparent in an effort to blur the distinction between the public and Cooperative realms. The proposed materials and systems were chosen to mitigate environmental impact while supporting local suppliers and craftspeople. The design has been approached using the US Green Building Council’s LEED design criteria, TRM Architect’s second such project, which will further promote the Cooperative’s agenda of improving the environmental and economic performance of the building through sustainable and green building practices.