Unfragmenting HIL - a kitchen landscape for the HIL Foyer

Inspired by the film Fatima, the project explores how architecture can address social isolation caused by cultural and linguistic barriers. The proposal focuses on creating a shared environment where cooking, eating, and gathering become tools for interaction and community building.

Rather than designing a singular institutional space, the project develops a “kitchen landscape” composed of fragmented kitchens and communal platforms distributed across the site.

The kitchen landscape functions as the social core of the project. Different kitchens support varied forms of cultural exchange, from collective cooking and workshops to informal meals and community events.

By dispersing these spaces throughout the building, the design encourages movement, encounter, and participation between users of different backgrounds. The arrangement creates a sequence of open and semi-open environments that blur the boundaries between circulation, activity, and gathering.

Research into the existing structure revealed a lack of informal social spaces and limited opportunities for interaction. In response, the proposal introduces interconnected communal zones that promote visibility and accessibility. Platforms, shared tables, and open preparation areas allow everyday activities to become collective experiences. Materially, the project uses rubberized concrete flooring as a primary spatial and organizational element. Changes in concrete composition create subtle thresholds between different functions, guiding movement and shaping interaction throughout the kitchen landscape.

Master Thesis Spring 2026

Project by: Valentina Howald Teaching Team: Anna Puigjaner, Pol Esteve Castelló, He Shen 何珅, Ethel Baraona Pohl, Lisa Maillard, Paule Perron, Valentina Noce. In Collaboration with Guillaume Habert and He Yufei (BUK).

Images 3, 5, 9, 11: Luís Úrculo