What are the plans for the building that had Thai Noodle?

Good question. The architect hasn’t finalized plans yet which is why I didn’t report them. It could be as simple as just fixing the damage or perhaps a little remodeling too.

I think the city wants some actual buildings.

Dear Peterson,

Your materials choices here — tents and shipping containers — refer to a contemporary aesthetic that anticipates a post-apocalyptic, grim, meat-hook future.  “Let’s skip the earthquake and go straight to the tents.” So I see you as an architect getting out in front of this dark future.  Prettying it up.     You have made excellently realistic choices with a solid chance of appealing to the youth of today who rightfully suspect that your voluntary selection of materials may reflect their own inescapable necessities before long.    We all might soon be living in shanty-towns and shipping containers, so, yeah.  This.  Opening weekend will be huge, knock on wood.

What I want to caution you about here is the problem of Authenticity.

The grim, meat-hook, shipping-container future that haunts our collective nightmares is to be made bearable, they say, partly by three elements:

(1) the crafty and improvisational repurposing  of at-hand materials in era of personal scarcity and against a backdrop of indifferently oppressive corporate dominance;

(2) the semi-reliable provision of half-decent beer, food, and collective self-entertainment as form of distraction from the unending dark void which is become our collective near future; and

(3) productive participation, not passive consumption, as the primary role in local community

Now your design sets off on the right foot for (1) and (2) just fine, if you ask me — but it’s on the question of the (3) that I think you need to think about the problem of Authenticity.

The essence of your design is that nothing precious is risked.  The structure can go up quickly and provide community function – - but it can as easily be taken down and replaced.   By this same logic it can continuously change, in form and function.

Now please turn that into a cycle, at least for a while.  Let this structure be continuously remade, and its use be continuously tweaked for as long as it lasts.   Many of the kids these days, partly thanks to the Burning Man and Shipyard and other blow-hard types, are acquiring all kind of relevant valuable crafts in metal-work, glass-work, painting, music creation, music presentation, video projection, cloth-work, …. yadda yadda yadda…..   Damn do-gooders, what with their doing good all the time and such.   The culture which is the authentic host of the “maker” aesthetic to which your design refers is also host to a wealth of up-and-coming craftspeople whose ongoing participation in the structure you propose would give you (3) — that Authenticity — “productive participation, not passive consumption, as the primary role in local community”.    Let the users hack and evolve it.

It’s something which could be operational by mid May, brings people and light to one of 3 vacant corners, mitigates lost revenue for the restaurants and City of Berkeley, and looks interesting (to me) to boot. 

I’m sure the design will be tweaked, but I think it’s a much better solution than 2+ years of vacancy.

Would love to see if they could bring Teatro Zinzanni to Berkeley, but as a secondary plan, looks like a nice way to occupy Telegraph with people.

Ira

Great idea which allows businesses to keep going and generate cash flow and tax revenue during the design and permit phase. Could be moved across the street to fenced in rat yard (cleaned up of course) during construction. I’m sure there will be critics, though most of them probably have never run a business or even know what it takes to run a restaurant or manage a large construction project…tents are a great temporary solution!

It could be permanently temporary, but from the drawing would be a nicer permanently temporary than Cody’s or Ratso Rizzo’s Retreat across the street.

I kind of love this idea and think that it has the potential to bring some much needed vigor and liveliness to Telegraph. But maybe I just have an affinity for post-apocalyptic meat-hookery?

Perhaps the Telegraph Avenue Association could start a summer movies series.

First movie could be … ”Mad Max” 

Ira

Looks good.  Bring it on.  I have been waiting for Gabriela’s to open since the sign up up on the building ages ago.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/sea-breeze-market-and-deli-berkeley