Kara Voss

Full Circle

Bachelor of Design Interior Design Experience Design Community Food Sustainability

Globally, an estimated third of food is thrown away. In New Zealand, 17.3% of the population experienced food insecurity between 2022 and 2024. After reflecting on the growing urgency of these issues, I aimed to design a restaurant and food rescue system that utilises food waste as a method to address increasing levels of food insecurity within NZ.

The restaurant, “Full Circle,” will be located on Nuffield Street in Newmarket. The name captures a cycle of giving and renewal, turning what is wasted into something that sustains the community. Every design decision prioritises repurposing. Materials such as reclaimed timber and Critical Design’s Cleanstone tell a story of thoughtful, sustainable practices. These choices remind us that every decision leaves lasting tracks, shaping both our environment and society.

Inspired by Steven Holl’s “Storefront for Art and Architecture,” the restaurant features a sliding Corten steel façade that transforms into a table. This adaptable design acts as a symbol of manaakitanga, fostering community connections by welcoming nearby businesses to donate rescued ingredients, or receive meals made from them. 'Full Circle' operates under a 'pay-what-you-can' system, ensuring that everyone within the wider Newmarket community has access to nutritious, dignified dining experiences, regardless of their circumstances.

Storage carts collect rescued ingredients from the storefront, before being moved through the dining space into the storage room, allowing guests to gain a deeper understanding of food waste can be repurposed to do good within the community.

Dining tables sit on tracks, allowing the dining space to be re- organised depending on group size. The continued movement of the tables will carve tracklines into the reclaimed timber floor, encouraging visitors to consider how the “tracks” they leave behind have a permanent impact on both the environment and society.

Inspired by “Storefront for Art and Architecture” by Steven Holl, the front of the store folds down to develop manaakitanga within the community. People can use the Storefront to donate ingredients, or purchase a meal made from the donated ingredients.