Student Work

Course Description

Aarhus Food House

Students: Nalin Chahal & Noah Scanlan
Studio: ARCH 506 — Rob Peña — Fall 2025
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

Project Description

The Aarhus Food House reimagines food as a powerful tool for social connection, linking Denmark’s growing urban and immigrant populations with rural communities facing shrinking agricultural land. By centering food as both a necessity and a shared cultural experience, the project creates a welcoming space where diverse groups can gather, learn, and exchange knowledge. It addresses both social isolation and food system challenges, offering a model for inclusive, community-driven design.

The building brings together multiple programs under one roof to support this vision. A co-op market offers locally sourced produce, strengthening ties between rural farmers and city residents. An experimental kitchen invites people to cook, share meals, and learn from one another, fostering cultural exchange and collaboration. A restaurant provides a space for communal dining, while a rooftop greenhouse serves as a hands-on educational environment where visitors can grow and understand food production firsthand.

Through these layered experiences, the Aarhus Food House transforms everyday acts of eating and growing into opportunities for belonging, reinforcing the idea that food can unite people across differences.

Images from Aarhus Food House.