Merrett Houmøller Architects designed this mobile kitchen and pop-up dining facility as a base for the Refugees and Befriending Project run by the British Red Cross in London.

The London-based practice approached the British Red Cross with its idea for the structure named the Befriending Kitchen. It's used by the humanitarian organisation as a base for its programme that brings together young asylum seekers and refugees once a week to share a meal.
The brightly coloured demountable modules that make up the kitchen and dining facilities provide a vibrant alternative to the programme's previous home in an uninspiring office.
The design also allows the project to be moved around the city, expanding the reach of the programme.

"As a profession, we architects have a tendency to shy away from questions of social change, instead obsessing over self indulgent form-making," practice co-founder Peter Merrett told Dezeen. "[It] was an opportunity for us to engage with the refugee crisis in a direct and tangible way, and perhaps begin to counteract the atmosphere of fear and suspicion that surrounds immigration and the global refugee crisis."

Each of the two modules contain facilities for cooking, preparation and cleaning, including a gas hob, sink and serving area, as well as storage space for the folding tables and benches.
When unpacked the two units enclose an informal dining area for up to 30 people.
"Meal times have a universal familiarity t...