The New Face of Marble: Transspecies Kitchen for Sustainable Living Spaces
In today's world, the processes of cooking and food consumption are not only physical, but also ecological and political phenomena. Actions such as eating, digesting, growing and decomposing are actually part of an alliance between different life forms. Andrés Jaque and his team at the Office for Political Innovation, who act from this perspective, address these actions from a new perspective with the Transspecies Kitchen project. This kitchen, which is currently on display at the Middelheim Museum in Antwerp, Belgium, minimises carbon emissions and uses fermentation as the main cooking method, thus offering an ecological transformation.
Transspecies Kitchen is not only ecological, but also a critical look at industrial processes. This kitchen reuses the waste products of the marble industry, giving these materials a new life. As it is known, only 30% of the marble extracted from quarries is used industrially, while the remaining 70% is utilised as waste. While there are other approaches to utilise these wastes such as laminated marble products and mosaic stones, Transspecies Kitchen creates both environmental and economic value by reusing these wastes. Marbles go through a minimal transformation process and become the main materials used in the kitchen, thus criticising industrial waste production.
Marble, as a building material, has been at the forefront of architecture throughout history with its durability and aesthetics. However, Transspecies Kitchen shows that marble can go beyond these traditional properties and contribute to a sustainable future. The natural texture and aesthetics of marble is used as a strong design element on its own, without the need to add other materials used in the kitchen. This not only emphasises the natural beauty of the material, but also questions the unnecessary complexity of industrial processes.
Transspecies Kitchen treats the kitchen not only as a cooking space, but also as a collective living space. By forging new alliances between ecosystems and transhuman beings, this kitchen goes beyond the processes of eating and digesting food. This project sees digestion as a political intervention in the construction of life and offers a post-carbon cooking process.
This innovative project, which points to the different potentials of the material, is not only concerned with the aesthetics and durability of marble, but also with what role it can play for a sustainable future. This project goes beyond the traditional uses of marble, making it part of an environmentally friendly solution. The natural and raw state of marble, combined with architectural and ecological strategies, creates sustainable living spaces where humans and all living beings can coexist.
Transspecies Kitchen is an inspiring example of how architecture, design and the use of materials can be shaped in the future. This project sends a strong message both aesthetically and ecologically: The designs of the future must be built sustainably with natural materials.
References:https://www.archdaily.com/1019599/transspecies-kitchen-andres-jaque-office-for-political-innovation?ad_source=search&ad_medium=projects_tab