MArch - Introductory Design Project

Given the vast scale of the research topic, that of global consumer cultures, I have decided to narrow the scope of my intervention for the introductory design project (IDP). This is to test the concept as thoroughly as possible without getting tied up with the complexities of the system as a whole.

The focus is on understanding the management of fundemental support systems within an existing urban context, testing the viability of a designed solution for water, food and energy within a 'typical' urban block.

The contemporary global network has facilitated a reduction in urban production on both an industrial and domestic level. The de-industrialisation of 'developed' cities, particularly in the UK, has rendered the urban landscape free of production and thus the causal relationship between the consumer and the product has been lost. Replaced by a swelling commercial core which only adds to the homogenity of our cities.

Additionally, our connection with the system is often experienced in isolation. With the promotion of the nuclear family, as the idealised social construct, the urban realm has developed to encapsulate this.