ACSA Steel Competition Urban Slicing

Contemporary urban life has transformed itself into one where speed predominates.

The process of eating is one of the most natural things we do in our daily lives; yet, the value of this process has been transformed into an unnatural domesticated action. Fast food has proven to be a revolutionary force in this action.

Surveys reveal that this fast driven life style encourages unhealthy eating habits. As a consequence, our urban context has shifted into a mass produced, compact and homogeneous chain of “Fast Foods” and “Fast Buildings”. It’s construction is identical, with a universal avor, monotone, with a fast and pre-designated movement. Speed, by itself, is not bad. However, it has become a routinely way of life.

Metaphorically, we see the architect as a chef, the plate as an empty plate, the architectural plans as the recipes, the site as the cutting board, the knife;s movement as the velocity of the place and the kitchen’s activity as the exterior noises, In the end, cooking and designing can be seen as the expression of translatable languages and signifying processes. Conceived as a tabula rasa, the site is treated as a cutting board, where the constant slicing of the knife defines, scale, form and proportion.