MX01 Miaoxia Community Kitchen: Building Design and Construction

The Miaoxia Community Kitchen project resulted in the development and implementation of the community kitchen (2015) in Miaoxia Village Sichuan Province. This involved the design and construction of a 190m2 two level community kitchen through participatory design by 80+ participants. Development of a social enterprise and social organization of 7 village women to run and develop the community kitchen with profit sharing with the community. The collaboration put in place the ‘software’ through Action Research (local understanding, dialogue and engagement; social systems and services) and the ‘hardware’ through the applied research methodology of Participatory Design processes (design process, constructed spaces, capacity development and skill extension). The project was co-funded by the Keswick Foundation and Department General Research Funds (SD).