Tom’s Content:
our project looks at undergraduate residences as our physical space. specifically, we want to look at the design of kitchens and dining rooms as common spaces which contribute to both environmental and social sustainability. these spaces are integral in creating a sustainable community, whether that is through reducing food waste or supporting social interaction. this is the xanadu house, which houses 60 stanford undergrads. the design of the kitchen and dining room is quite simple. however, there is a lot of issues with food waste, not necessarily here are all the entrances and here are all the relevant rooms when weather permits, which is most of the time, residents heavily prefer eating outside. the seating areas are around towards the basketball court or out on the front patio, which are on the opposite side of the dining room. this causes people to walk to the other side of the house to eat
PROPOSAL: outdoor seating area by the dining hall entrance
BENEFITS:
Closer proximity to dining room will make people more willing to take smaller portions and return for seconds, decreasing food waste. previous attempts to solve this problem included replacing plates in the dining room with smaller ones, which was met with a lot of annoyance due to people’s tendency to carry all their food across the house and outside.
the kitchen on this side of the house has a window where the chef often works, out of which the current chef enjoys waving and saying hi to residents. Our current chef also enjoys talking to us as we are serving our food. This new seating area would allow her to talk to us from the kitchen while we are eating, which would help integrate our staff with the house community! It would also tangentially help with the food waste problem by allowing residents to discuss their favorite meals with the chef. One of the causes of food waste in the house is that some meals are more preferred relative to others. The days the less preferred meals are served there is more food waste. By getting a sense of the meals the residents love, the chef will better be able to play portions for those days.
also, closer proximity to dining room will help prevent cliques from forming based on what area people choose to sit in
for health reasons, most people could use a large amount of increased sunlight. nicer outdoor seating would therefore have health benefits!
more involved ideas, serving counter that connects the outside to the kitchen, making it easier for the chef to serve food and better for portion control/food waste
Z began as a focused effort to minimize food waste at Xanadu House by introducing outdoor seating. However, through extensive research involving interviews with students from various dorms, the project evolved into the Common Kitchen Project. By identifying shared pain points and incorporating diverse perspectives, the team developed a comprehensive solution that addresses food waste, promotes sustainability, and enhances communal living across multiple dorms. Iterative feedback from peers and professors further refined the concept, resulting in a robust and impactful initiative.
Outdoor seating area moodboard (far too fancy to actually be done, but the function is the idea):
