The Oaks vs. Other University Dining Facilities: Does architecture affect food waste?

The purpose of this study was to find a connection between food waste and architecture and determine how food waste can be mitigated using architectural solutions and methods. Food waste is an important issue worldwide and is present in university dining facilities. This study focuses on university dining facilities’ preventable food waste at both the pre-consumer and post-consumer levels. Architecture, in this project, is defined as all aspects of the built environment. This includes, but is not limited to, design and layout, materials, systems, building operations, marketing displays, and sustainability. Methods for this study included researching sustainability, architecture, and food waste, and conducting interviews with university sustainability staff and faculty members. Due to information collected on design practices and the education of students, a conclusion can be drawn that architecture does affect food waste. Sustainability is naturally interdisciplinary and serves a part in every industry and facet of life. To have a future without sustainability means to have no viable future at all. Architecture and design can have a greater impact on food waste when universities are dedicated to creating change.