Alexander Petrounine.

Status ︎︎︎ Competition proposal - Honourable Mention 
Location ︎︎︎ Skopje, North Macedonia
Organiser ︎︎︎ TU Delft
Size ︎︎︎ 350 m²
Program ︎︎︎ Dining in the public domain
Published ︎︎︎ theintimatecity.com, KoozA/rch, Zhihu

The Banquet Room is a collective intervention with a ritualistic character. A democratic space where dining becomes an infrastructure for interaction and sharing of knowledge. The intervention explores the idea of the traditional hearth: a focal point and gathering place in a home. The project therefore engages the hearth as a tool to expose the boundaries between the public, communal, and private space within the urban landscape.

The intervention, round in plan with a tall conical wooden frame, acts as an urban marker, positioning itself in between the amphitheatre and the Mother Teresa Memorial House. The intervention encloses the space on the north, whilst defining the fragmented and diverse character of the Mother Teresa Park on the remaining sides. The threshold is defined by a raised floor that leads through a series of doors, each of which can be opened. At the heart of the intervention a huge open hearth dominates the space with a long chimney that makes its way up to the apex of the roof. Surrounding the hearth is a ceramic kitchen counter for people to prepare, clean, cook, and boil food, whilst the cabinets below offer storage for essentials.

Inspired by the theatrical qualities of the round banquet table, this ceremonial setting creates a moment of awareness of the domestic ritual in a public setting. Through the act of dining people are encouraged to cook together and exchange knowledge through which new social interactions arise outside the traditional households.