Starbucks Recycling Center
This project was presented during the Studio 6: Adaptive Reuse course at the Art Institute of Seattle. The parameters were such: Given the Seattle City Light Broad Street Substation, just east of the Seattle Center, adapt this building to suit a different purpose while maintaining the historic exterior. After visiting the site and spending time in the area I noticed that this area was used by frequently by homeless people. The other thing that stood out to me was the great number of Starbucks coffee cups and plastic cups trashed into the nearby bushes. Joining these two I have devised a way to help the homeless population and clean up our streets of recyclable trash while also improving the Starbucks image. To do this, the Broad Street Substation will be transformed into a recycling center. The center will employ homeless to bring in the recyclable trash they find in the bushes in return for a food stipend at a nearby market or food bank. A higher value will be put on Starbucks cups to entice people to keep them out of the bushes and gutters. There will also be a work program set up that will go on in the second floor of the main recycling building. Here, classes will go on that teach life skills and ways to rehabilitate yourself and the community. By doing all of this, the Starbucks Recycling Center is a social solution for both helping the environment by cleaning the streets of recyclable trash and by improving the lives of others, which together will positively transform our community as a whole.
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