Rachel Houston (She/Her)
Stage 3 studiowork has encouraged my interest in exploring alternative ways of designing. I feel passionate about learning how to be inventive during a changing climate and political landscape – and aim to seek an architecture which attempts to evolve by thoroughly engaging with its’ environment. In my project I have attempted to design from the ‘inside-out’, being interested in the methodology of approaching design through comprehensive material knowledge as well as engagement with locality.
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The Vertical Factory – Urban Food Exchange
The design is a result of thorough research into the area of Port Dundas by the Forth and Clyde Canal where the site is located. From observing historical maps and pin-pointing key built densities, as well as a delve into archives, 3 key built ‘categories’ emerged – Industrial, Cultural and Residential and these built ‘categories’ are carried throughout as ‘rules’ integral to the proposal:
1. Industrial: Promoting a new type of industry where the stages of production are fully transparent. This is achieved through a vertical ‘assembly line’, a circulation atrium at the core of the building which forces visitors to pass by each stage involved in the production of food in order to reach the main ‘consumption’, the Food Exchange.
2. Cultural: Taught skills passed down and practised in the learning kitchens. How can architecture reflect a culture of delayed gratification and self-sustainability? When effort is made by the community as a collective, the city can become increasingly more self-sufficient.
3. Residential: The importance of the immediate community upon individual wellbeing. With the inclusion of accommodation within the UFEx, individuals are encouraged to get directly involved in this process and feel connected to something bigger.
