A Zero Waste Interior Architecture Studio Project

Abstract

The nature of interior architecture necessitates the adoption of a multidisciplinary approach, specifically in the initial research phases. It is important that students have a full grasp of this understanding during their education. The aim of this study was to enable interior architecture students to achieve an understanding and awareness of space and sustainable approach to interior design through a Zero Waste Restaurant project in Taris Building in Kusadasi, Turkey. Second year Interior Architecture and Environmental Design (IAED) students from the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design (FFAD) at Izmir University of Economics (IUE) were asked to design the interior and close surrounding of a restaurant with a focused theme. An important aspect of this project was that it was collaborative with the Department of Culinary Arts and Management at IUE and the Aydin Municipality. The architectural and historical significance of Taris building as an adaptive reuse project and the interdisciplinary approach of this project to interior design education. With this project, the aim was to give students an awareness of both a multidisciplinary and an environmentally responsible approach to interior architecture. While a multidisciplinary approach enables creative solutions to flourish, an environmentally responsible approach leads to responsible and sustainable interiors to be created. This paper focuses on a second year interior architecture studio project that has three main concerns: Delivering environmental responsibility with the adaptive reuse of a historical building in Kusadasi, considering the history and locality of the existing building and surrounding area; discussing the zero waste concept to be applied within the system of the restaurant, but more generally, in the totality of the project; and do this through multidisciplinary approaches with a restaurant design necessitating combining of interiors knowledge with a chosen cuisine and its culture. The students were required to design not only the restaurant, but also the campaign that will make the restaurant known for its responsible approach. Successful and contemporary projects were shared with the students, such as, from restaurants that use only misshapen vegetables and fruit, and campaigns that create awareness on food waste around the world. Within this context, the students were expected to do research on restaurants and a variety of cuisines, define the cuisine and user group, and generate a scenario for the space, and analyze (design principles, architectural structure and spatial quality) and present your interpretation of the existing space, fully with models, photographs, sketches, inspiration and concept boards, research, material choices and specifications, details, and a full detailed and rendered drawing set in the required scales. The project was fruitful in that, students gained awareness on a variety of issues that directly or indirectly influence and interact with interior architecture. It was important for the instructor team to communicate a holistic understanding to interior architecture early in students' education. By enabling knowledge from a variety of sources, there was an increased opportunity for creativity.