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Charity Whitehead: The domest-civic kitchen

Folio

Sharing everyday culture through the currency of food

The brick towers house stacked kitchens, their chimneys reaching beyond the roofline, opening allowing light to filter from level to level.
A varied programme, centred around food - growing, cooking, dining, learning - stretches along the length of the site, the process of plant to plate evident as the user moves. through the building.
A pair of towers share this dining space, sandwiched between their massive forms. Activity spills from the adjacent kitchens and the flow of movement from the ramp leaks into the space.
The towers give way to a central outdoor courtyard; a communal area into which activity spills from the surrounding cooking spaces, allowing groups to converge and culture to be shared.
Glazed links form shared spaces between the private kitchens, folding doors enabling autonomy in levels of privacy. Views into the central space and towers beyond provide a sense of connection.
On the upper floors, the circulation wraps the kitchen towers and void space beyond. It dips into the bookending growing and washing utility spaces, a reminder of the food’s journey.
A massive open-air concrete block houses the growing and retail functions of food produce, beginning the user’s experience as well as the food’s journey from plant to plate.

Location
Stratford Station, Stratford, London Borough of Newham 

Objective
To provide a space for the sharing of everyday culture through food and all it encompasses.

Motivation
To enable a developing community to unify while preserving and evolving the varied and rich cultures of new and existing residents.

Strategy
The combination of an open public courtyard and a variety of private and shared kitchen spaces facilitates growing, cooking and dining experiences for a range of users and occasions. A ramped circulation route offers glimpses into pockets of activity while circling the heart of the building. Supporting utility spaces take visitors and residents on a journey of food, from plant to plate.

Impact
In the heart of Stratford, The Domest-ivic Kitchen occupies the space between the existing and the new, creating a common ground for exchanging and developing culture.

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