The project focuses on the Circular Economy ideology, targeting the re-branding of one of the biggest food companies in the world.
Located in Shoreditch (London), inside the former Lipton Factory’s building, now addressed as the Tea building, the aim of the project is to create an all-around sustainable Flagship Store for the brand McDonald’s.
The scheme is an intervention on the brand’s identity to create a more sustainable company structure, also based on re-use and recycling.
The proposal highlights a reflection on how brands could use their voice to exploit a circular system still not effectively use in terms of architecture, to create a space where sustainability is at the center of the design idea.
During the development, different concepts were taken in consideration to shape a new McDonald’s Slow Food Restaurant. The re-branding of the company was based on a Circular Economy loop where the brand connected with local businesses around Shoreditch to achieve a non-waste community space, and to be fully sustainable within the local area. The layout includes on the ground floor a fast-food area, a restaurant, a recycling paper lab and workshop, and a cooking workshop, while the rooftop is home to an urban farm which support the supplies for part of the restaurant menu.
Also, a significant aspect of the process was the chosen materials, which were relevant to be as sustainable and circular as possible to meticulously design a well-rounded proposal based on the aspects of Circular Economy.
In conclusion, the brand transformation analyzed the dualities of the brand, to activate a co-production and co-working space for people to start approaching the Circular Economy loop, while also showing custumers the different aspects of sustainable materials and sustainable branding.
