Task 1

For first task on good design, I started considering design that attracted my attention when I first started at the University. The Fusion Building has always impressed me since my first visit. I started reflecting on the design unit, and principles not long after returning from the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon. 

I was struck in France by the approach of the school, a world-leading catering school and gastronomy research centre. Naturally, food is pivotal not just at the school but of course in France. The Institut have designed into the working day a shared lunch with staff, students and guests eating together, in two or three sittings.

After speaking with some of the researchers at the school it was apparent that there has been the focus of research on commensality, or the social act of eating together.  The Institut has designed commensality into the centre of the working day. 

This reminded me of another school. Schumacher college in Devon who also build learning on shared eating. I have noted on both occasions how influential such design might be on well-being.

The Fusion building has elements to it built in that make it remarkably suited to shared dining, in addition to open plan meeting and teaching spaces. The table set out is open, encouraging shared dining. The dining area is central and visible through the entire building and beyond the visual, the 'sounds of conviviality' are not trapped into the dining space. 

One of the challenging things is finding an image that evidences the lived experience, something that’s a touch difficult to articulate in an architectural sketch or an image. This type of dining of course has become commercially popular in recent years, championed by the restaurant group Wagamama.

Additional - On Good Design

On 'Good' Design                      

I am reminded of a chapter where I was first immersed in the design process, as a former partner of a catering business.

The shortened version of our design brief from 2011 follows. 

Our designer produced something that we were rather fond of. We were very keen to team up with fellow Leiths alumni to make artisan food under the banner of The Preservation Society. 

The Preservation Society suited the stage of our early business career and other small catering companies that were interested in similar things to ourselves and additional income - but were not necessarily the main activities of our respective businesses. We were excited by the concept of and felt the name fit the bill - it was slightly irrevent and playful. 

Days before submitting an application for a trademark I stumbled upon an article in the press about intellectual property and for some reason checked the IPO database and I was crest-fallen. 

An application for the Preservation Society had been submitted a matter of weeks before. The uncanny resemblance between the design still troubles me to this day.