Architecture as a Recipe: Exploring the potential of Ingredients in a Narrative

Abstract

Food and the city are inseparable. In-fact, food is a very tactile representation of the culture and traditions the city has to offer. From street-food to high end restaurants, each space of celebration of food, tells a story about the life of the people in that region. Each particular space represents the raw, medium and well-done stages in a recipe. Similarly, architecture is also the reflection of the lifestyle and culture of a region. Both are basic human necessities but are often elevated through design. Both are often used as a medium to bring people together. This project explores the potential of architecture as a recipe. A recipe has a narrative to it, a procedure of steps to be followed which take the ingredients from raw, medium to well-done. Similarly, architecture curates experiences in a manner which can be sequential. While, food is a major part of our daily lives, this thesis explores a story of food in the context of Rawalpindi. A recipe has transparency in it, this transparency is explored in terms of the steps of the process and porosity in architecture. From fresh, to being cooked, to being served, this space creates a narrative between all these different steps of the recipe, allowing different level of transparency with the public. Hence, creating a tweaked narrative for different user groups according to their need. It does so by first collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data about different culinary spaces within the context. It creates a one stop space to celebrate food, share it and teach about it all while following the narrative of architecture as a recipe. While this project explores the possibilities of designing a space like following a recipe, it also explores the opportunity to represent all stages in a literal recipe and change the dining experience. It focuses on enhancing the experience through experiential circulation which not only guides the user but also the individual ingredients of the space. It also explores the idea of bringing together different ingredients to form the final dish and represent it architecturally in terms of form and experience. The dining experience need not be as bland as it has become, but, can be more interactive no matter the scale of the space All this is done in order to reconnect the citizens with not only food, but also each other and give them a chance to celebrate their food, context, and themselves.