From Soil to Soil:
Stitching the Food Cycle through Landscapes and Cultures
Location: Somers Town, London
Type: Academic, group
Level: Masters, Design Practice for Historic Environments, BARC0033
Date: 2025 Spring
Study: Community-engagement, meanwhile use, parasite
Teammate: Fernando Sanchez
Institution: The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL
Food is more than sustenance; it is a story of relationships. From Soil to Soil traces the journey of food from planting to disposal, mapping the interconnected cycles of agriculture, cooking, eating, urban environments, and cultural identity in Somers Town. Through these practices, we examine how diverse communities interact with land and food systems. How do histories of different cultures and settlements shape urban gathering spaces? How does the journey of food -from soil to soil- reveal the intersections of culture, urban farming, cooking, and eating in Somers Town? What spatial, social, and environmental requirements emerge from this process?
The project explores the multicultural dimensions of the urban ground through the surrealist drawing method of exquisite corpse. Using this approach not only as a research tool but as a design method, the study translates into a spatial arrangement in both plan and section. The proposal reimagines fragmented food systems by creating spaces where communities can actively engage in growing, preparing, and sharing food. By stitching together ruptured urban spaces from Euston to St. Pancras Stations through the strategic site, the design weaves disparate elements into a cohesive whole, fostering a more interconnected and participatory urban fabric.