My project explored the relationship between living and(&) food production using a greenhouse in a co-housing scheme. I started with defining my Design Manifeso; what I’m trying to achieve, and my Design Manual; how I am going to achieve it, and I realised that a lot of what I am trying to achieve comes down to the concepts of social interaction and collaboration between residents, whilst still maintaining privacy.
Influenced by precedents, interviews, articles and conversations, I decided to engage with the existing houses on site and design low-rise, detached and semi-detached new built housing. I also explored with using mid to low-tech food production methods; using a greenhouse, which ultimately balances the levels of interaction and collaboration, and the amount of food produced per square meter per unit of time.I believe that for architects, designing landscaping and lighting is as important as designing the housing, in such exciting concepts.
However, the project also faced many challenges. Most recently, the outbreak of the global pandemic (COVID-19), has created a clash between my concept of social interaction and the real-world situation of spatial distancing. To tackle this issue, I have also considered the different changes that can be accommodated in the design which could also achieve the spatial distancing measures whilst still maintaining social interaction.
I believe in the importance of creating a community through design.
