From 2007 to 2011 UrbanLab directed Archeworks, an alternative design school in Chicago founded by Stanley Tigerman and Eva Maddox in 1993. Archeworks students work in multidisciplinary teams with nonprofit partners to create design solutions for social and environmental concerns. In 2010 Archeworks and UrbanLab presented the Mobile Food Collective project in Workshopping: An American Model of Architectural Practice at the US Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. The Mobile Food Collective project is a family of flexible mobile structures that support the growing public interest and awareness of the social, economic, and health benefits associated with local food production. As moveable food prep machines, the structures enable participants to grow and prepare fresh food, and to create a more participatory food culture.

Photos by Michelle Litvin and Daniele Resini