After successful completion of the course, students are able to understand the complex processes of a design task from the field of architecture and to apply them in their own design by developing independent approaches to solutions, structured in clear sub-steps.
The demand for fresh and sustainably produced food is constantly increasing in our permanently growing cities.
Embedded in the urban context of Vienna, the production of agricultural products has been making a not insignificant contribution to the supply of food for generations. Urban farming has picked up on this theme of self-sufficiency, but has also contributed to a romanticized view of food production. However, food production is an industrial process in which production, storage, distribution, marketing, recycling, and disposal are strongly interrelated. Yet many of these sub-processes are invisible or lack understanding of these relationships.
The design project Urban Food wants to make these processes visible and recall them to consciousness. In the midst of the city of Vienna, a prototypical design of a representative solitaire is intended to make this cycle tangible in the form of a hybrid structure and to make a small contribution to self-sufficiency. The focus is on cooking and eating and a market for the surrounding neighborhood, embedded in the production of fruits, vegetables, herbs in synergy with aquaculture. The use of innovative and resource-saving agricultural concepts under the intensive use of rainwater, the abandonment of pesticides and the use of solar energy will complete this concept of aquaponic and minimize the resources used.
Building on the analyses on the topic of structural diversity from useage overlays and the building site in Vienna, concepts on the topics of "Urban Cooking" and "Urban Farming" are developed. These will be further developed by precise spatial refinements supporting the design. A deepening on the topics of agricultural indoor production and structural design, will accompany the design process in workshops and lectures.
The entry into the design process begins with short assignments, accompanying lectures, basic analyses and in-depth workshops. The design is developed mainly on the model, starting with the urban scale up to the detailed scale. The design is presented in the form of plans and presentation models. A final digital documentation completes the task.
