Mechanized Dining

Spring 2013, junior design studio
Urban greenhouse/restaurant in New Haven, CT

The design of this gastronomical center relates the concepts of food generation, material transformation, and consumption to its structure.

Food in the 21st century is constantly being transformed, processed, and repackaged, for the sake of novelty, efficiency, and longevity. This gastronomical center is designed to explore the full sequence of food processing and consumption by selectively revealing the mechanisms that shape the food we eat.

The final design focused on the transformation of food from its natural form to a state of total artificiality. The roof of the structure functions as a greenhouse, where food is grown for the facility. The food descends from the roof to the lower levels, and on each floor a new form of food processing is introduced. By the time food reaches the basement, it has been converted into unrecognizable pastes and textures, the flavor of the food totally devoid from its form. Diners and observers can participate and sample food along the entirety of its processing route, either from green house to lower levels or vice versa.

Click through the images below for a description of the design process.