Second Harvest is one of the region’s largest food banks, carrying out a mission to end hunger by providing food access, advocacy, education and disaster response. The organization provides food and support to 700-plus community partners and programs across 23 parishes, and its staff and volunteers distribute the equivalent of more than 32 million meals to more than 210,000 people a year.
Because the operation had grown in size and stature over the years and, after touring several similar facilities around the nation, stakeholders set about renovating their workplace to be a physical manifestation of their very public mission in the community.
The renovation, executed while the project was occupied, was a particularly complex one—the design team frequently likened it to building a ship in a bottle. The project involved the painstaking process of taking former warehouse space and converting it to office use.
Given their active role in the community, the design team at Eskew Dumez Ripple took inspiration from the organization’s work itself, but also the colors and qualities of food—hues largely composed of green with pops of yellow and purple.
Today, the 27,000-square-foot space features a new entry lobby, a warm, welcoming space for visitors, a board room, administrative and staff offices, a large conference room for training, and several communal spaces for employee congregation and socialization.
PHOTOS: Michael Mantese
Retrofit Team
Architect and Interior Designer: Eskew Dumez Ripple
- Mark Ripple, principal-in-charge
- Jose Alvarez, project manager
- Kim Nguyen, project architect
- Mark Thorburn, project architect
- Kristin Henry, interior designer
- Jill Traylor, director of interiors
- Tracy Lea, specifications
- Jeannine Ford, construction administration
General Contractor: Donahue Favret
Structural Engineer: Schrenk, Endom & Flanagan LLC
MEP Engineer: Moses Engineers Inc.
Geotechnical Engineer: Eustis Engineering Services LLC
Landscape Architect: Spackman Mossop Michaels