Studio
Community
House
Our main objective was to design a system where the students and the campus staff could integrate healthier habits into their daily lives without feeling like it was being imposed as a school policy. Therefore, our team focused on food as a trigger for a holistic lifestyle, including social life, sport activities, entrepreneurial projects, and co-working dynamics.
In an attempt to fully understand the student’s life, our team visited various of Tec Milenio’s campuses all over the country. During each visit, we spent significant hours observing and interviewing students, professors and members of the staff with the aim of identifying their routines, needs, motivations, and eating habits.
After the visit, the main problems we identified were:
As a result of our research, we identified food as the central item of social life at the campus. Therefore our proposal focused in food as a trigger for an environment of well-being.
The designed system consisted in five main components: (1) food, (2) entrepreneurship, (3) job offers, (4) events and (5) co-working. In order to solve the turnaround times and service quality, we created an app where students could establish their preferences and set their schedules to pre-order food, learn about appropriate options for their personal needs, and interact with other students to coordinate events and study sessions.
The menu was also restructured in function of the daily recommended quantity of carbs, protein, minerals, and vitamins. Each of the recipes was conceived with the appropriate amount of nutritional components needed for each hour of the day. We also identified food star products (which are usually unhealthy) and balanced them so that students could still enjoy them without the guilty feeling of over eating. One of these products was the chilaquiles, a traditional Mexican plate consisting of fried tortillas, salsa, cheese, and a protein such as chicken or meat. Chilaquiles were served in large quantities with a large portion of fried tortillas. Since removing this product from the menu was not a desirable option, our solution was to reduce the serving size and balance the nutrients adding a vegetables to the recipe.
Additionally, the space of the cafeteria was not longer conceived as “the place to eat”, but “the place to be.” Based on the insight that students wanted to feel responsible and self-controllers, Foodlosofia created “The Hub”: an open space that encourages new student projects, providing them with a sales space and a support team. This action could allow students to legally sell their food products, compete with the regular cafeteria offer, improve their business skills, and find a flexible job to alternate with their classes.
