RECONNECT- a food unit

RECONNECT is a temporary food unit that has been designed for the

AC-CA International Architectural competition

COMPETITION BRIEF
The aim of this International Competition is to design a Gourmet Street Food structure in the heart of the city of Berlin. The architecture of this new temporary structure or vessel should reflect contemporary design tendencies in its provision of an architectural solution to the current gourmet street food scene. The proposal must not only attend to the specific function but also take into consideration the urban context and impact. This competition hopes to achieve the following:

-Encourage and reward design excellence at a small scale which integrates function, structure and details.
-Research, respond to and highlight the unique aspects of designing a temporary self-support and possibly a mobile structure.
-To generate the discussion of ideas regarding the relation between Architecture and the new Gourmet Street Food trend.
-Encourage the employment of sustainable design in all aspects of the proposal.

ANALYSIS

IDEATION

CONCEPT

With the rise of convenience foods and ready-to-eat meals, most people have lost the knowledge of what goes into the process of cooking a healthy meal. This food unit has been designed to explore the idea of conventional food preparation and attempts to reconnect its customers with their food. Customers get to handpick their own fresh, organic produce and have their meals cooked right in front of them.

PLAN

CIRCULATION

The customer circulation works around the outside of the food unit in an anti-clockwise system. It begins with placing an order at the cash counter, and then moving towards the fresh produce section

where customers can handpick fresh organic ingredients. They then had over their pick at the deposit counter and move on to watch their food being prepared and cooked in a healthy manner. The plated dish is collected at the delivery counter with options of garnishing the meal with fresh herbs growing in the herb pots at the counter.

SECTION

STRUCTURE

The framework of the temporary food unit is made up of space-frames that add stability and rigidity to the structure. The space-frames have been used on the roof as well as below the flooring and connect by metal columns.

MATERIAL DETAIL

The interior walls are made of stainless steel sheet metal and backed with a thick plywood layer for support and stability. The outermost layer is made of perforated copper sheets supported by the space-frames. The space between the ply and the copper sheet incorporates LEDs to light up the unit walls.