UNIT D
‘Regenerative design and development is that which supports the flourishing of all life, for all time.’ (Ichioka and Pawlyn, 2021, p14)
This year in Unit D, we worked in Oxford. Briefs for both projects were created by the students through research into the context and the opportunities that emerged for regenerative development and design. These included areas of interest for the students, but still needed to be relevant to the place and opportunities for more than humans.
The Unit assertion is that human beings have been separated from nature for too long and that, in order to address this, buildings and the way they are interconnected into ecosystems need to become more in line with natural systems designs. It is also posited that humans, when we act collaboratively, could have a significant impact on the critical journey towards a regenerative culture, thereby making a notable contribution towards reducing the current trajectory of climate breakdown. The project briefs for the year were aligned to address these two beliefs, both of which were integral to creating living systems.
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Melissa Kinnear (Unit lead), Peter Newton (Unit tutor), Robert Goacher (Tech/Practice tutor), Rebecca Bleeze (Structures tutor)
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Freddie Broadhurst, Ralph Saull
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Year 3: Farah Aburemsh, Coralie Arakti Daou, Luca Balan, Oscar Chu, Niamh Gibbs, Ellie Green, James Lowery, Alp Noyan, Ella Oshse Year 2: Hannah Broad, Charlotte Crawford, Daniela D’Ambrosi, Nicole Deakin, Josh Ewan Sinclair, Gala Kaptieva, Dominika Okon, Jamie Scott, Deimante Luiza Seduikyte, Connor Strickland, Isaac Van De Velden, Kyle Welfare
Food4Thought
Jamie Scott
Food4Thought: A hub of research into health and zero-waste living Buried in the heart of a research-driven urban environment, Food4Thought stands as a pioneering zero-waste hub, seamlessly blending an eco-friendly organic restaurant, a refill station, a research facility for ZOE (a food nutrition research company), a cookery school and a gardening space—this comprehensive approach to environmental stewardship and community engagement revolutionises sustainable living.
Located in Oxford, a city known for its progressive research, Food4Thought is more than just a facility; it is a destination. The location was chosen for its accessibility being so close to the railway station and the bus station, ensuring that a wide range of people can engage and benefit from the hub’s offerings. Food4Thought seeks to serve as a model for urban centres, demonstrating how integrated sustainability practices can thrive in a metropolitan setting especially, within a retrofit of a pre-existing building.
Food4Thought’s primary aim is to foster a healthy zero zero-waste lifestyle by integrating various sustainable practices into one cohesive space. The project started with a 3-year temporary scheme, the restaurant. Once established within the community further renovations to complete the entire building could result in a hub for health and zero waste. The project has several objectives: -Promote zero waste practices: Through its restaurant, refill station and gardening space, it aims to minimise waste at every step, from sourcing and consumption to disposal and recycling. -Educate and Engage the Community: Offering free nutrition tests to see how local individuals can eat better to suit their gut health; cookery school, workshops and educational programmes. -Support and local Organic Agriculture: The hub emphasises using locally sourced, organic ingredients, reducing carbon footprints and supporting regional farmers. As well as working with local allotments to teach young people about growing. -Demonstrate Sustainable Business Models: Food4Thought aims to inspire other enterprises to adopt similar practices by showcasing how businesses can operate sustainably. Architectural Strategy The architectural strategy of Food4Thought is a testament to its commitment to sustainability and innovation. The structure embodies green building principles. Key features include: -Green Roof: the roof is a gardening space in which part of the produce for the restaurant is grown -Natural Lighting and ventilation: Light tunnels are a prominent feature of the building to allow natural light down into key spaces, reducing the need for artificial lighting. -Recycled and sustainable Materials: The materials are all locally sourced and sustainable therefore reducing the carbon footprint
001 Kitchen
Birds
Exploded Axo
Exterior rendered view
Exterior rendered view
Interior 00
Section
Preserving Oxford through... Food!
Farah Aburemsh
Preserving Oxford through… Food! Is a meanwhile project which transformed into a regenerative enterprise with the aims of preserving Oxford’s communities, heritage, and food. This project aims to focus on sustainable and gut-friendly food practices emphasising on food fermentation and food preservation to improve the long-term community health. By establishing a inclusive community kitchen in the heart of Oxford, the project encourages to create a space where the community can come together to learn, cook, and connect with each other - while being an educational hub by informing the community on benefits of gut-healthy foods and the processes of fermentation.
Food4Thought’s primary aim is to foster a healthy zero zero-waste lifestyle by integrating various sustainable practices into one cohesive space. The project started with a 3-year temporary scheme, the restaurant. Once established within the community further renovations to complete the entire building could result in a hub for health and zero waste. The project has several objectives: -Promote zero waste practices: Through its restaurant, refill station and gardening space, it aims to minimise waste at every step, from sourcing and consumption to disposal and recycling. -Educate and Engage the Community: Offering free nutrition tests to see how local individuals can eat better to suit their gut health; cookery school, workshops and educational programmes. -Support and local Organic Agriculture: The hub emphasises using locally sourced, organic ingredients, reducing carbon footprints and supporting regional farmers. As well as working with local allotments to teach young people about growing. -Demonstrate Sustainable Business Models: Food4Thought aims to inspire other enterprises to adopt similar practices by showcasing how businesses can operate sustainably. Architectural Strategy The architectural strategy of Food4Thought is a testament to its commitment to sustainability and innovation. The structure embodies green building principles. Key features include: -Green Roof: the roof is a gardening space in which part of the produce for the restaurant is grown -Natural Lighting and ventilation: Light tunnels are a prominent feature of the building to allow natural light down into key spaces, reducing the need for artificial lighting. -Recycled and sustainable Materials: The materials are all locally sourced and sustainable therefore reducing the carbon footprint
Exterior render
Ground floor
Section 2 smellscape
Section 2 smellscape
Brief Collage
Brief Collage
Tech prespective
Timber tower
Tech prespective
Overall axonometric view
Oxford Design Studio
Alp Noyan
Strategically situated between Oxford's bustling train station and the historic city centre, Oxford Design Studio's flourishing architectural complex boldly calls for transformative change within the construction industry. Exposed to the heavy foot traffic of commuters and visitors alike, the site owned by Nuffield College acts as a highly visible catalyst, reimagining what our future cityscapes can look and feel like.
The ambitious program addresses a glaring lack in the construction industry—the absence of a certification board for regenerative and unconventional materials. ODS's innovative scheme establishes a certifying body, a product design studio focused on material research and development, and accommodations that foster creative cross-pollination between material scientists, designers, architects, and artists.
The overarching narrative driving the design is one of growth over time and embracing the evolving patinas of the built environment over decades. This conceptual framework is manifested through tangible architectural elements that aid the growth and gentle decay of the complex. All new materials introduced aim to be replaceable, easily maintained, and constructed without chemical adhesives or toxic components unless absolutely necessary.
For instance, the cross-laminated timber structure utilises reclaimed wood to reduce transportation emissions. Reused concrete roof tiles provide fireproofing for the materials testing area, minimising construction waste. Construction waste and environmental impact is minimised at every turn. Verdant gardens foster plant life penetrating into the interior spaces. A sculptural canopy of steel cables provides shading over the years as climbers gracefully take over. A brown roof encourages biodiversity and generates renewable energy through integrated photovoltaic panels.
At the heart is the striking spire clad in perforated copper skin over a glulam timber structure. This eye-catching vertical accent punctuates and nearly competes against Nuffield College's own famed spire in Oxford's skyline of historic steeples and domes. Incorporating birdhouses for multiple species and spaces for plants to grow on its structure, it aims to be the most biodiverse spire on the skyline. The ODS spire symbolises the imminent and vital shift needed across the construction industry toward more regenerative and unconventional materials and processes.
Through its evolving materiality and maintenance of ‘decay’ as a regenerative cycle, ODS's design exemplifies an avant-garde yet grounded approach to materials, urban interventions, and a localised rethinking of our built environment's relationship to nature. It's an ambitious manifesto for change embodied through architectural form, program, and material innovation.
Axonometric of Proposal
Concept Collage Showing Growth Through Time
Final Section
Inhabited Axonometric
Initial Proposal
Roof Garden in Autumn 2030
Proposal from the Mound
Proposal in Summer 2030
Roof Garden in Summer 2025