Atlas of Dining and Connection: a taste of place

How might designing environments of dining nurture human connection?

Environments of dining hold unique potential to actively shape human connection. The research highlights the dynamic role of environments of dining as interfaces with place, exploring opportunities to nurture meaningful relationships between people and their surroundings through the way these environments are designed.

Following an adapted patchworking methodology, this thesis charts a subjective and explorative journey of discovery through the interconnected worlds of commensality, connection, and relational architectures. It develops a generative ‘kit of parts’ design framework through four iterative research cycles that integrate theoretical inquiry, case studies, and personal reflection. This framework addresses the micro-scale of human interaction with space, layering moments of design and guiding narratives to collectively shape dining environments. Tools developed as part of this design framework include: • Using flavour as a thesis-specific language to articulate and explore key concepts.

• Interpretive analysis of ritualistic dining typologies to inform design strategies.

• A series of transferrable design ‘tools’; forming an overarching strategy for creating connective environments.

• Opportunities specific to New Zealand: a local guide for creating nurturing dining environments.

• A speculative design outcome to test the applicability of the findings in practice.

This research contributes to interior-architecture by proposing a pathway for creating dining environments imbued with a strong sense of umami—environments that nurture human connections to place. It offers a framework for advancing more meaningful design practices and ways of thinking about dining spaces.