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Showcase 2021 Student Spotlight: Zana Kentish Brade

Student Spotlight featuring BArch (Hons) Architecture student, Zana Kentish Brade and her project Sustainable Farming Education.

Sustainable Farming Education by BArch (Hons) Architecture student, Zana Kentish Brade

Sustainable Farming Education by Zana Kentish Brade

BArch (Hons) Architecture

Cities face many challenges to meet sustainability requirements. Urban agriculture can contribute to sustainability and well-being in the cities. It contributes to biodiversity and ecosystem services by providing habitats, reducing food miles, and creating more green spaces, thus reducing the carbon footprint left by our everyday activities and the lack of greenery within the city.

Recent food challenges due to Covid-19 raised concerns for food production and availability. Although food supply has stabilized globally, it is evident what could happen if another pandemic occurs.

My proposal for the Old Mecca building site on St. Ann’s Well Road encourages community engagement and interaction with a diverse range of learners. They will learn Vertical Farming methods, Traditional Farming methods, Botany, Beekeeping and making products from beekeeping and, Food Preparation on-site and how to apply what they’ve learned within their own living spaces.

There will also be opportunities to exhibit what they’ve learned in a designated Market &Exhibition space, giving them an opportunity to also teach the wider community.

Zana said: “Initially, I wanted to do a school for the creatives since the site is in the creative quarter. But in revisiting the brief and reflecting on our situation at the time (Covid-19 restrictions), I thought about what would really be beneficial for that particular area that has a heavy student population. I decided that Sustainable farming would be something that would benefit not just the immediate community, but the wider community - making connections through interaction while spreading knowledge. I really enjoyed working on this project, I thought of it as a real-life project and completely immersed myself in it. I’d love to see something like this built within a community someday.”

Have a look at Zana's website and Instagram account for more of her work.

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