Abstract:
In this thesis, a design response to the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 by the United Nations is outlined, using the medium of architecture as a driving force for change. It is an investigation of how architecture can act as a catalyst for the improvement of health and nutrition of the general population. This is achieved by redesigning the standard supermarket to become a multifunctional space for a wide variety of food-related activities that are needed within a community; including buying, giving, eating, growing and learning about food production. This design proposal not only presents a new sustainable method for the purchase of food but also creates the opportunity for otherwise wasted food to be prepared and cooked for consumption onsite. The project aims to work towards a world where food security is the norm, and food waste/loss is reduced and eventually eliminated, simply because all food is consumed along different points of the food life cycle. This is essentially done by ‘upcycling’ our food and rethinking our current structure of production and consumption. It is to start a ripple effect, which creates productive and engaged communities, while increasing interaction between different demographics, and socio-economic groups, thereby creating better neighbourhoods and reducing economic inequality.
