Atelier Flores & Prats, Autumn Semester 2024, Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio
Second Hand – School of Gastronomy in Mendrisio
Our Atelier is interested in working with existing buildings, bringing a new episode to their lives by occupying them with a new program, always related to Food.
On previous semesters we have been researching on the connection between Culture and Food or Food Scarcity, and both subjects were developed in different neighbourhoods in the city of Barcelona. Last spring we proposed to design a Local Food Market for Mendrisio, and this semester, we will be focusing on Food Education, proposing the design of a School of Gastronomy, again in Mendrisio.
Learning about the disciplines that are studied in a School of Gastronomy, we will become more aware of the values of food, its production and transformation, to understand its social, cultural, economic, political and environmental impact. The Atelier proposes a visit to the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, to learn about how Food Education is developed, its program and organisation.
The exercise will work between the articulation of the two different scales of the city of Mendrisio: the small, dense one of the old town and the imposing one of the more recent buildings, which are related to the transport infrastructure. The new School of Gastronomy will establish a dialogue between these two different scales and stages of urban development, enhancing the qualities of the public spaces.
Professor: Eva Prats
Assistants: Laura Martínez del Olmo and Michela Romanò
> Studio website (external link)
> First Mid Term Reviews, 18th October 2024
> Second Mid Term Reviews, 7th November 2024
> Final Reviews, 18th-19th December 2024