Introduction: 
Introduction: 
Restaurants 
serve 
as 
gateways 
to 
city 
neighborhoods. 
The 
experience 
of 
these 
culinary 
destinations 
is 
twofold: 
restaurants 
bring 
visitors 
to 
a 
place 
they 
might 
not 
normally 
go 
and 
in 
doing 
so 
bring 
added 
economic 
and 
pedestrian 
vitality 
to 
a 
location. 
Beyond 
this 
initial 
boost, 
the 
value 
of 
these 
“first 
encounters” 
can 
set 
the 
stage 
for 
not 
only 
shifting 
perceptions 
but 
cultivating 
deep 
and 
enduring 
interests 
in 
the 
city’s 
vast 
offerings. 
From 
this 
kind 
of 
energy, 
very 
often 
a 
vibe 
gets 
created. 

Opening 
a 
restaurant 
can 
be 
a 
risky, 
difficult, 
and 
financially 
prohibitive 
endeavor 
-
the 
emergence 
of 
food 

trucks 
illustrates 
that 
demand 
for 
authentic 
quality 
cuisine 
is 
strong 
and 
that 
enterprising 
chef 
entrepreneurs 
will 
find 
ways 
to 
meet 
that 
demand 
outside 
of 
the 
traditional 
bricks 
and 
mortar 
route. 
In 
her 
seminal 
book, 
The 
Death 
and 
Life 
of 
the 
City, 
Jane 
Jacobs 
illustrated 
new 
ideas 
require 
cheap 
space. 
In 
that 
spirit, 
our 
idea 
proposes 
creating 
an 
urban 
culinary 
incubator. 
Here 
are 
the 
highlights 
of 
Bistro 
Box: 

Repurposed 
Shipping 
Containers 
Shipping 
containers 
provide 
an 
affordable, 
abundant 
and 
flexible 
shell 
building 
material 
ideally 
situated 
for 
creating 
a 
simple, 
unmistakably 
modern 
bistro-
like 
environment. 
The 
container’s 
exteriors 
are 
utilized 
as 
a 
canvas 
to 
celebrate 
the 
restaurant’s 
unique 
personality 
and 
spirit. 
Bistro 
Box 
will 
integrate 
sustainable 
design 
and 
operations 
practices. 
Bistro 
Box 
will 
animate 
the 
streetscape 
C 
E 
A 
B 
C 
A 
D 
G 
A. 
Kitchen 
F 
G 
B. 
Dining 
C. 
Bar 
D. 
Vestibule 
E. 
Restroom 
F. 
Porch 
G. 
Patio 
bistro 
box: 
nounbes-tro: 
a 
small 
or 
unpretentious 
restaurant 
Preferred 
Site 
Arrangement 
Dining 
space 
can 
be 
used 
as 
a 
venue 
for 
sharing 
art 
Alternate 
Site 
Arrangement 
Triple 
Bottom 
Line 

Beyond 
its 
initial 
design 
ideas, 
Bistro 
Box 
aspires 
to 
be 
an 
example 
of 
ecological, 
social, 
and 
financial 
sustainability 
– 
the 
triple 
bottom 
line. 
Bistro 
Box 
is 
a 
small 
businesses 
incubator 
space 
touching g 
people’s 
p 
p 
lives 
in 
the 
following 
ways:

g 
y 

•
Assist 
in 
growing 
culinary 
arts 
skills 
and 
broadening 
horizons 
•
Assist 
in 
growing 
the 
neighborhood’s 
critical 
mass 
•
Minimize 
embodied 
energy 
and 
support 
local 
businesses 
•
Assist 
in 
communication 
and 
leadership p 
•
Model 
sustainable 
design 
& 
operations 
g 

Site, 
Synergy, 
& 
Flexibility 

Bistro 
Box 
is 
ideally 
placed 
where 
synergies 
can 
be 
established 
with 
its 
surroundings. 
Lot 
6 
provides 
360 
degree 
visibility 
and 
the 
strongest 
g 
visual 
relationship p 
to 
neighborhood 
assets. 
The 
preferred 


g 
p 
site 
arrangement 
creates 
space 
for 
an 
exciting 
urban 
farming 
initiative. 
Responsive 
to 
differently 
sized 
and 
shaped 
urban 
sites, 
Bistro 
Box 
can 
be 
configured 
in 
a 
variety 
of 
ways. 


Display 
cooking 
arrangement 
fosters 
connectivity 
& 
relationship 
.