The Butcher and His Imminent Decay

The University of Strathclyde Department of Architecture, Glasgow, Scotland

Project idea

Food is our first connection to nature. Our civilisation was built and shaped by food. However, that sparks of connection continue to dwindle since the introduction of industry. Countryside has become a food production machine to feed the rising urban population.

This project will be focusing on the relationship between human, nature and food production. The aim of this project is to incorporate a chain of food production in the city to decrease food waste, increase food knowledge and food diversity, provide food transparency and allow nature to take over unused farmland in the countryside. The main protagonist of this project is venison, suggesting a new alternative to red meat. This new type of uncommon food alternative aims to regenerate de-industrialised Glasgow, stimulating a new source of economy for the city.

However, will this solve anything? Will Glasgow’s vicious cycle of dereliction trap the regeneration project?
What will the butcher do upon his imminent decay?

Project description

The project started as an exploration of the disconnected relation between human and food, while contributing to the future economy of Glasgow. However, in the end, the project became something more. The project further investigates the nature of our building process, asking a question about the mortality of architecture. Will we continue to build in the same way? leaving a trail of dereliction along the way? Or do we change our perspective to embrace the natural fate of decay?

As the project title suggests, "The Butcher and His Imminent Decay". The project embraces decay as something imminent, combining this idea into the very own of the building fabric. The design of the architecture is to allow decay to creep in when the time is needed. When the building stops being useful to the city, the architecture will begin to decay, going back to the earth as all natural matters in the earth. As the proposal is a killing hub of venison meat, the building will stop their campaign of violence into a tranquil garden in the future. When the killing stops, the architecture starts to accept their death.

Technical information

The project focuses on exploring natural building materials which have the ability to decompose naturally. The materials used in this project are: Mycelium & Cork panel, Timber, Sandstone, and Copper. These materials allow an interesting projected interaction between the spaces due to the differences in the lifetime of the materials. For example: Mycelium panel is projected to last 50 years, while sandstones potentially last up to 100 years. As one part of the architecture decay, it will open up and connect different spaces, allowing new interaction through time. Another interesting aspect of the material will be the use of Copper. As the nature of copper's colour changes with time, the copper will become the beacon of time, whispering stories of the history of the sites.