This Food Hall was inspired by anime movies with solarpunk/steampunk aesthetics - one of my favorites is Howl’s Moving Castle by Hayao Miyazaki. In his anime movies, Hayao Miyazaki always speaks about the importance of family, and food is the opportunity to connect with family members and friends. He also highlights the importance of art and craftsmanship through steampunk elements, vintage twists, and French architecture. Being inspired by these movies, I wanted to create a “safe” space for people to connect with their family and friends and learn more about different types of cuisines, thus making it possible to embrace the diversity of the city of Boston and the areas nearby. The Food Hall will be open during the day and late evenings, making it possible for celebrating different national and international holidays and festivals. 

To build these connections, I designed the space with a vivid city-like feeling on the first floor by incorporating metal finishes, city elements like glowing signs and tubes, greenery and trees, and structural changes in floor elevations to create podiums and bridges. The second floor has a home-like atmosphere with warm and natural finishes and home decorative elements such as kitchen cabinets and flower pots. The second floor has a visual and lighting connection to the first floor, so visitors sitting above can observe what is going on the “streets” below.