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On the way to food…

This article is about my graduation project at the Faculty of Architecture, Delft University
of Technology: ‘On the way to food’. It explores the relation between people’s daily lives
and the built environment, which I call ‘Life Design‘.

Tajima Masayuki, TU Delft, Faculty of Architecture / Illustrations: Tajima Masayuki

Life design can be seen as a mixture of
urban design and, in this case, food culture.
The aim is to create a balanced and higher
quality society. ‘On the way to food’
describes a bottom up process in which
people are encouraged to participate in
something like the ‘slow food’ movement.
Just as ‘fast food’ is characterised by a
distinct architecture and urban context
(often roadside parking lots) ‘slow food’
needs a specific urban design as well.
In a broader sense, this covers aspects
like quality of space, culture, economy,
environment, society, atmosphere, taste,
feeling and networking. Life design should
pull these various strands together and
transform them into physical elements we
can enjoy in real space.
food culture = cooking culture +
restaurant culture
Fabricia’s book about food wonderfully
illustrates the maxim ‘You are what you eat’. 1
Food creates direct value for both
individuals and society. Food culture is
diverse and flexible and is an integral part
of the food cycle. When we define this cycle
as production, consumption and waste,
we find food culture where production and
consumption intersects. Two important
elements in this are ‘cooking culture’ and
‘restaurant culture’: cooking culture
involves the creative process; restaurant
culture is about entertainment and going
out. Combining these elements in an urban
setting requires creative solutions, in terms
of architecture and urban planning. The
combination of food culture and urban
design is new, but could nevertheless fit
well into contemporary urban societies.
For a food culture to develop we need
strong core areas in our cities where urban
design is dedicated to all aspects of food.
What makes such a centre attract people is
taste transaction, creative thinking and
enlightenment through experience: tasting,
own cooking, watching others cook and
guessing how they do it; atmosphere,
sound, smell and so on. This is the type of
urban environment we should create.
the potential for food culture
in north-west europe
Food culture has developed slowly in the
Netherlands and in Northwest Europe. The
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Cooking Making
Sustainability
Global Scale Operation
European Trend, Organic Product
Top down approach
Nederland as leading countries
Figuur 1 Development of food culture.
Calvinistic culture in Holland was one in
which spending more than absolutely
necessary on food was frowned upon and
eating in a restaurant was thought to be a
waste of money. Family life was conducted
indoors. At the same time the Dutch did not
have a tradition of growing or processing
their own food. Poor climatic conditions
also hindered the development of a food
culture; people enjoy food more when they
can choose to eat inside or outside. For
Europe as a whole, the disruption of two
devastating world wars slowed down the
interaction between nations and peoples,
for a long time preventing the spread of
food products and culinary traditions
throughout the continent. But now, in
the 21st century, the situation is different.
Looking forward, I anticipate that
globalisation and technological developments
will encourage number of trends:
– The development of a more constructive
attitude towards food culture and its
promotion.
– The use of existing assets: the
agriculture and biotech industries;
cultural environments such as historical
elements and districts (creating romantic
CultureCulture
Restaurant
Consumption Culture
Culture
City, Food culture (network of people)
Ethics
Identity of the area
Political (social and cultural)
Economical--Commercialism
Bottom up approach
Slow food vs Fast food
places); transport infrastructure for
exporting and importing produce; and
greater ethnic diversity.
– The adoption of more general European
trends and mentalities towards food,
linking environmental concerns with
food quality.
– Bringing different cultures together and
creating new culinary traditions.
san francisco – a centre of food culture
A good example of an urban structure
that supports food culture is the San
Francisco Bay Area in California. The city of
San Francisco is the centre of this food
culture, with a clear centre of gravity in the
downtown area. In turn, this centre connects
to the surrounding food sub-centres:
Berkeley for Californian cuisine, San Jose for
Mexican food and Napa Valley for wines.
Each city has its own vivid colour. The well
laid out infrastructure system guarantees
the fresh delivery of ingredients and a rapid
transaction of taste. It enables people to
move around in search of great taste and
a variety of good but cheap ingredients.
This networking and sharing of information
makes the San Francisco Bay area a place
Ecology
Recycling
Burnt
where going out and cooking culture
resonate constantly.
food culture in rotterdam
The city of Rotterdam has a number of
elements in place for developing a food
culture, both in quality and quantity.
The city is ethnically diverse, has a well-
established infrastructure system (port and
motorway system) and occupies a good
location in both the Randstad and North-
West Europe. Unfortunately, Rotterdam
lacks a clear focal point for food culture.
The biweekly market at the Binnenrotte
near station Blaak (the largest food market
in the Netherlands) could be an important
element for such a focal point because it
is a source of fresh and cheap products.
But although the Blaak area provides a
backbone for a cooking culture, it does not
provide the necessary activities for taste
and cooking creativity itself. Something is
lacking.
wijnhaven – regenerating an inner
city area
Situated near the Binnenrotte market, the
Wijnhaven (Wine harbour) is ideally located Y
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R otte rd am C e ntral Station
Figuur 2 Food culture in Rotterdam.
between two major transit hubs (Beurs and
Blaak) and between the two bridges that
connect the northern and southern parts of
the city (Willemsbrug and Erasmusbrug).
After the bombardment of 1940 the
Wijnhaven area was developed as a mono-
functional office area and remained that
way for about fifty years. The area is now
undergoing an urban renewal process in
which the Wijnhaveneiland and
surrounding area is being transformed into
a mixed-use, high-rise, high-density urban
area. The excellent accessibility, the close
proximity of the city centre (within walking
distance) and the spatial quality of the
surrounding water makes it an outstanding
location. As a linear element the Wijnhaven
can easily connect the city’s ‘cultural axis’,
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Binne rotte
Blaak
O ud e H ave n
Be urs
Witte d e With Straat
Eras m us Brid ge
the Witte de Withstraat, with another
concentration of cafés, bars and
restaurants, the Oude Haven. All these
qualities create the right conditions for a
successful urban redevelopment. But the
Wijnhaven is still lacking a dominant
culture; food culture could fill that gap.
a new food culture centre
The development of the Wijnhaven
area should first connect the Witte de
Withstraat to the Oude Haven. A bridge
stretching from the Witte de Withstraat is
necessary to guarantee a smooth flow of
people. Since bringing people over to the
Wijnhaven area is key to the success of
the further development, we could start
treating the area as an extension of the
Witte de Withstraat, the current ‘cultural
Major Stre e t for autom ob ile
Ex is ting Pub lic D om ain
C ity icons to d e fine b ound ary of
R otte rd am d owntown are a
Urb an Sche m e for this p roje ct
PR O PO SA L LO C A T IO N
Ex p e cte d Flow afte r the inte rve ntion
Flow from outs id e of d owntown are a
axis’. Eventually, Wijnhaven could offer a
strong food culture combined with
businesses, home offices, entertainment,
housing and a sports centre. The idea is to
promote a balanced community that
understands the essence of Life Design.
This concentration of creative ideas and
enlightenment will eventually become the
motor for the generation of a strong food
culture here. A strong emphasis is put on
cooking culture because its creative skill
and thinking is an essential ingredient for
a progressive food culture.
The new food culture core could contain the
following main components:
A Ministry of Taste a food culture think-tank
for ideas, research, marketing, promotion,
advice and education. This will include
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History of Food Culture in NL
Experimental Installation of
Smell + Sound + Visual + Space
Museum Store
Cafe Food Museum
Phenomenon-Trust
Kitchen
+
Eating Space
High Interaction
Figuur 3 HoReCa + related cultural promotion for the Wijnhaven area.
scouting for new talent, locally as well as
from all over the world. The role of the
‘Ministry of Taste’ is to promote a creative
and economically viable food culture.
A free speech area where anyone can come
and sell food. As more and more people
come to sell their own culinary creations
on the street at an affordable price, the
crossfertilisation of various tastes will
accelerate, resulting in a rich food culture.
The Ministry of Taste will supervise the free
speech area to enforce standards of quality
and taste.
A commercial interface spread over three
floors, each floor with a different theme.
– Ground floor: Tapas + Drinks. At ‘Tapas’
the characteristics of each store will
be based on the cooking method, such
as baked, steamed or deep-fried. The
creative contribution of chefs from
different countries will be combined
under the same cooking method, with
the potential for creating interesting
combinations of food and taste. The
menu will be the chef’s own slow food
or fusion, depending on their mood.
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HoReCa + Related Cultural Promotion
Green as Roof
garden area
Film & Dance Theater
Food Museum
Cooking School, Hotel
Supermarket, pub, cafe restaurtnat, others
The ‘Drinks’ section will be similarly
structured. With the flexibility for free
movement, infinite combinations of food
and drinks will be available, providing
something for everyone.
– First floor: Cafés. Cafés will be located
right next to the ‘cultural axis’ where
people pass by and want to show off.
The advantage of having a food avenue
on the first floor is that commercial
functions could spread over the levels
above and below.
– Second floor: Restaurants. The second
floor is about restaurants with a relaxed
atmosphere and fine food teppanyaki
style. Diners can watch the chef in action
and even talk to the chef, adding to the
entertainment value of the culinary
experience.
A flexible mobile system made up by a
special team of food vendors that could go
anywhere to support festival and events.
A food museum to support slow food and
emphasise the importance of taste
education as well as experimental
collaboration between different cultural
Addition on top of recycled building as theater
Brown Color
Recycling of the building
27
6 10
Office, Audio Visual and Media,
restaurant at Prominent location
such as top floor
Relocated Radio Station
+
new media office
activities (food, art, sound, music, painting,
space, light).
A cooking school for the public, which can
also be used to hold small private company
parties, offering complete hospitality with
an assigned chef. The participants could
join in the cooking process if they wish.
broader support necessary
Although there are many more
opportunities to explore, this approach to
developing a food culture concentrated in a
single location is rather new and seems
promising. Life Design is an elegant fusion
of food and design, with the potential to
create a unique urban environment, which
in it turn can support urban renewal
programmes like the Wijnhaven area in
Rotterdam. The establishment of a ‘Ministry
of Taste’ would provide the motor behind
the necessary innovation to keep the field
of food culture moving in an economical
and efficient way.
Even though public awareness about food
is growing, food culture still needs strong
support from local and national governments, Y
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Development Phase
Food Museum
Experimental Space--art installation with 5 senses toward the unique yet great experience
Food Museum
Roof Activity, Access to Roof garden/cafe.
Dutch food history and items exhibition
Gift shop Radio station will be relocated here. The other type
of Media and New media companies are also
Cooking School encouraged here, so that it gives reinforcement in Prominent location-public space.
Where the informal relationship can build promotion of food idea.
Where you learn skill
Circulation penetrating direction.
Where you can also stay
38
Where you can party
Hotel
Mixture of business, commercial: Shopping,
Office retail, restaurant, cafe, Gallery, travel
Residential agency, clothing shop.
27
Office + Media
1 3 2

Flexible development
10
7
6
5
Existing Residential Art School

North South
Roof Garden
Open Space

Housing
Public space
Garden for residence

Ministry of Taste For more creative solution

Globalization for excitement and better
taste in our life.

Restaurant Green House 2nd Floor

Cafe/Lounge 1st Floor Commercial Interface

Quality Tapas Ground Floor
Bar
Movement (people & Cars) as view Water as view
Active Passive
Faster Pace
Reflection of the Bottom - Up. Dedication and stimulation to Ground Slower Pace
North side ( thus clear to see the things) floor area as free speech area with public participation. South side
City view City escape

Figuur 4 Proposal for the Wijnhaven area. The advantage of having a food avenue on the first floor is that
commercial functions could spread over the levels above and below.

such as the city of Rotterdam, the Ministry The project even has a European dimension: Note

of Education, Culture and Science and the it supports the fusion of different cooking 1 Fabrica (editor), 2003. 2398g: A Book About Food,

Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food styles in a common European Cuisine. The Edizione Electa, p 88. Z
Quality. For various reasons, they all should vision falls nothing short of raising food
accept the importance of food culture and culture into a cultural heritage we can
support it: food culture can strengthen proudly pass on to future generations. And
Rotterdam’s leisure industry; it teaches us that is called prosperity
important daily cultural values; and the
emphasis on food quality is central to its For reactions: masayuki@nova-terra.net.

philosophy.