Potluck House

POTLUCK HOUSE

TORONTO IS LARGELY COMPOSED OF IMMIGRANTS, OFTEN FOUND IN SOCIO-CULTURALLY AND PHYSICALLY SEGREGATED CLUSTERS IN THE CITY. POTLUCK HOUSE IS A HOUSING TYPOLOGY FOR TORONTO THAT OFFERS A MORE HOLISTIC FORM OF INTEGRATION FOR IMMIGRATED FAMILIES THROUGH THE CELEBRATION OF THEIR DIFFERENCES—FOOD. BEYOND MERE NOURISHMENT, POTLUCK HOUSE REINSTATES THE ROLE OF FOOD AS A VEHICLE FOR DISSOLVING SOCIO-CULTURAL BARRIERS. BEYOND A SENSE OF SIGHT, HEARING, AND TOUCH, IT RE-HIGHLIGHTS THE NEGLECTED IMPORTANCE OF SMELL AND TASTE IN CREATING A PROFOUND SPATIAL EXPERIENCE. POTLUCK HOUSE IS A MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING MODEL IN WHICH SPACES RELATED TO FOOD ARE COMBINED AND SHARED, CONSISTING OF TWO LEVELS OF FIVE RESIDENTIAL UNITS AND ONE DOUBLE-HEIGHT KITCHEN AND DINING ROOM. IN ITS HYPOTHETICAL URBAN CONTEXT OF A CORNER LOT, THE MODULES ARE STACKED IN A TWIST, CREATING TRIANGULAR POCKETS OF OUTDOOR COOKING AND GARDENING SPACES WHICH REINTRODUCES THE PRACTICE OF SEASONAL COOKING. THE CORRIDOR SPANNING THE WIDTH OF THE MODULE DIVIDES THE PRIVATE UNITS FROM THE PUBLIC, GRANDIOSE SPACES OF THE KITCHEN AND THE DINING ROOM, RENDERING THE TRANSITION BETWEEN THE TWO CEREMONIAL AND MEANINGFUL. BY CELEBRATING DIFFERENCES THROUGH FOOD, POTLUCK HOUSE PROPOSES A MODEL FOR A CANADIAN SOCIETY THAT CREATES HARMONY OUT OF INDIVIDUALITY.