CENTER FOR CULINARY ARTS AND
HOTEL MANAGEMENT –Sustainable
Campus
Tutor Name: Ar. Abirami Shanmugam
Program: [BARCH, ‘6th’ Sem]
Studio Title: Architectural Design - VI
Studio Focus: [Environmental Responsibility, Sustainability Integration,
Universal Design, Campus Planning, Hierarchy and Spatial Relationships,
Open & Transparent Design with Flexible spaces]
Key Information
Unit title: Architectural Design - VI
Unit focus:[Environmental Responsibility, Sustainability Integration, Universal Design,
Campus Planning, Hierarchy and Spatial Relationships]
Problem statement:
A Culinary Institute is more than just a place for teaching the art of cooking—it is a hub for creativity, cultural
exchange, and skill development. It serves as a platform to explore global cuisines, innovate with food sciences, and
foster community engagement through culinary arts. Focus is given to hands-on learning, making instruction and
demonstration areas the core components of the program. Additionally, the integration of a functional restaurant
within the school fosters interaction that extends beyond traditional instruction, enabling active engagement with the
urban environment.
Sustainable practices are integral to modern architectural design, especially for institutions that aim to nurture
future leaders. In the context of a Culinary Institute, sustainability extends beyond building efficiency to influence how
resources like water, energy, and materials are utilized. By integrating practices such as passive cooling, renewable
energy systems, and waste recycling, the institute can minimize its ecological footprint while creating a comfortable
and inspiring environment. Additionally, promoting the use of local materials and supporting local food systems
further aligns the institute with sustainable and ethical practices, fostering a harmonious relationship with its
environment and community.
Learning outcomes: After completing this studio unit, the student will be able to:
1. Sustainable Design Integration
• Environmental Responsibility:
Students will gain expertise in applying passive and active strategies to optimize energy
efficiency, reduce thermal loads, and enhance building performance.
• Material and Construction Knowledge:
Students will understand how to select and utilize local, sustainable materials to reduce
environmental impact
2. Spatial Design and Hierarchical Understanding
• Public and Private Space:
Students will demonstrate the ability to design spaces that balance public and private realms,
addressing hierarchy and accessibility.
• Scalability:
They will develop designs that respond to various scales, from individual spaces to larger
institutional systems.
Key Information
Learning outcomes: After completing this studio unit, the student will be able to:
3. Critical Thinking and Reflection:
• Engagement with Larger Goals:
Students will develop the ability to address social, economic, political, and environmental
dimensions in architectural design.
• Institutional Understanding:
Students will critically reflect on the role of institutions and their impact on communities, shaping
designs that are inclusive and adaptable.
4. Contextual and Responsive Design
• Site-Specific Solutions:
Students will learn to analyze site conditions and respond to environmental, cultural, and social
contexts in their designs.
Course Introduction
Theme/ Idea of the Studio:
This studio explores the concept of a Culinary Institute as a beacon for sustainable design,
cultural exchange, and innovation. The project challenges students to design an institution
that is more than a teaching space—it is a dynamic ecosystem fostering creativity, skill
development, and environmental responsibility.
Questions to be studied in Social, Cultural, or Environmental Context:
Social Context:
•How can the Culinary Institute foster meaningful relationships with the surrounding
community?
•What spaces can encourage collaboration and engagement across diverse social groups?
Cultural Context:
•What architectural elements can symbolize the fusion of food, culture, and sustainability?
Environmental Context:
•How can the building respond to its climate to minimize energy use and improve comfort?
•What sustainable systems can be integrated to teach environmental responsibility through the
building itself?
Course Introduction
Invitation to Participate:
Food is more than sustenance—it is culture, identity, and community. A Culinary Institute is more
than a school; it is a hub for innovation, a platform for global exchange, and a model for
sustainable living. This studio challenges you to explore how architecture can foster these values,
creating an environment that acts as a dynamic intersection of creativity, sustainability, and cultural
exchange.
Methods of Enquiry:
1. Contextual Research
Objective: Develop a deep understanding of the project's social, cultural, and environmental
context.
Methods:
• Site Analysis: Conduct physical or virtual surveys to study topography, climate, vegetation,
local materials, and existing infrastructure.
• Cultural Mapping: Explore culinary practices, and community needs through interviews,
literature, and local engagement.
• Case Studies: Analyze precedents of culinary schools, sustainable institutes, or cultural hubs
to identify successful strategies.
Course Introduction
Methods of Enquiry:
2. Ideation and Conceptualization
Objective: Develop initial ideas that address the studio's themes of sustainability, cultural exchange, open/flexible
planning and community engagement.
Methods:
• Mind Mapping: Create visual frameworks connecting food, culture, sustainability, and architecture.
• Diagramming: Explore spatial hierarchies, relationships, and program distribution through quick sketches and
abstract representations.
• Output: Concept sketches, narratives, and diagrams presenting core ideas.
3. Spatial and Programmatic Exploration
Objective: Define spatial requirements and explore innovative ways to organize the program.
Methods:
• Activity Mapping: Chart the activities within the institute and their relationships (e.g., teaching, dining, farming,
community engagement).
• Bubble Diagrams and Zoning Studies: Test various layouts for public, semi-public, and private spaces.
• Scenario Planning: Simulate how spaces will function during events like food festivals, workshops, or daily
classes.
• Sustainability Mapping: Overlay passive design elements, resource flows, and environmental systems onto
spatial layouts.
• Output: Preliminary spatial diagrams, zoning plans, and programmatic layouts.
Course Introduction
Methods of Enquiry:
4. Sustainable Design Strategies
Objective: Integrate sustainability principles into the design at all levels.
Methods:
• Climatic Analysis: Passive systems, wastewater/ Rainwater management.
• Material Research: Identify local, renewable, or recycled materials suitable for construction.
Output: Technical documentation of sustainability systems, material palettes.
5. Iterative Design Development
Objective: Refine the design through continuous feedback and iteration.
Methods:
• Design Reviews: Present work-in-progress to peers, faculty, for critique.
• Digital and Physical Modeling: Use 3D modeling software or physical models to test spatial qualities.
• Output: Refined design drawings, models, and documentation integrating feedback and analysis.
Calendar / Weekly Schedule
Group/Individua
Week Exercise Assessment
l work
(week Exercise : description (out of 100%)
number) (an exercise could span for more than a week)
Literature case Study, Standards study and research based on
1 Group Work
sustainable culinary institute(Group),
2 Inference study from the case study analysis Individual 30
3 Coming up with final spatial requirements and design focus Individual
4 Functional mapping, concept Development, Ideation Individual
5&6 Site Study & Analysis, Site Context Concept ideation Individual
7 Site Zoning, Campus Planning Individual
8&9 Single Line Planning, Sustainable Design Ideas Individual
Design Iterations, Refinement and Sustainable design 50
10
features incorporation
11 Plans, elevations, sections and views
12 Exercise + Board of Review Jury
13-15 (Only Studio) – Portfolio Preparation
(Only Studio) – Portfolio Preparation +Jury Board of
20
16 Review + Publication (a4 size) + 1 A1(landscape) sheet
per student showcasing their work
Exercise No.1
Week Exercise Output Learning Outcomes
• Students develop the
• Analyze precedents of
ability to identify and
culinary schools,
articulate the key
sustainable
Literature case architectural
institutes, or cultural
Study, Standards principles and
hubs to identify
study and strategies applied in
successful strategies.
Week -1&2 research based existing projects.
• Presentation on initial
Image
onof Output:
sustainable • They understand how
reflections: Key
culinary spatial organization,
challenges and
institute(Group) materiality, and
opportunities
sustainability
identified.
contribute to the
overall design.
Exercise No.2
Week Exercise Output Learning Outcomes
Ensure hierarchy and
Producing final Physical or digital sheets seamless transition
spatial showcasing spatial between public and
Week -3 hierarchies and material private spaces.
requirements and
design focus. applications. Address inclusivity and
adaptability to evolving
community needs.
Exercise No.3
Week Exercise Output Learning Outcomes
Functional • Students learn to
Mapping: Create approach design
diagrams problems with
showing social, originality and think
economic, beyond conventional
environmental, solutions.
and political • Students learn to
interactions Concept sketches and transform abstract
within the site diagrams. ideas into clear,
Week -4
context. Design strategy Ideation meaningful design
Sustainability sketches/ planning. concepts that align
Strategy Outline: with the studio brief.
Identify potential • They develop the
approaches for confidence to
energy efficiency, explore diverse
resource ideas, experiment
management, with forms, and take
and thermal creative risks.
performance.
Exercise No.4
Week Exercise Output Learning Outcomes
• Students gain a deep
understanding of the
site’s geographical,
social, and cultural
characteristics.
• They develop the
Site Study & Site analysis report: ability to design
Analysis, Site Include topography, spaces that are
Context Concept climate data, informal contextually relevant
Week -5, 6&7 ideation, Site systems, and local and respectful of
Zoning, Campus materials/resources. local identity.
Planning Presentation on initial • They acquire
reflections: Key knowledge to
challenges and integrate sustainable
opportunities identified. strategies like
passive cooling,
shading, and water
management into
their designs.
Exercise No.5
Week Exercise Output Learning Outcomes
• Students learn to
efficiently organize
spaces and express
spatial relationships
through simple, clear,
Single Line
Single line plans, elevations and direct
Planning,
Week -8&9 and sections. Design idea representations.
Sustainable Design
sketches • Students learn how to
Ideas
simplify complex design
ideas into single-line
plans that highlight key
spatial elements, flow,
and hierarchy.
Exercise No.6
Week Exercise Output Learning Outcomes
• Students refine their
ability to critically
evaluate and
improve their
designs through
iterative processes.
• Students understand
the importance of
Design iteration in design to
Iterations, progressively
Refinement and Double line Plans, develop ideas into
Week -10&11
Sustainable elevations, sections and more functional and
design features views refined solutions.
incorporation • Students acquire
proficiency in
creating double-line
plans, sections, and
elevations that
represent a
building’s structure,
materials, and
spatial organization.
THANK YOU
