Temple (The Last Cheeseburger)
Located in the courtyard of the historic Hôtel de Grave, home of the Regional Ministry of Culture (DRAC Occitanie), the project explores the environmental impacts of human consumption. The installation is the result of a 2024 competition-winning scheme by Michael Cook Architecture & Design, which was then detailed and constructed in collaboration with Garth Goldstein / G2-Studio. It was awarded the 'Prix du Jury' at the 2025 edition of Montpellier's Festival des Architectures Vives.
People like to eat cheeseburgers. A lot of cheeseburgers – around two billion are consumed each year in France alone [1]. At the same time, the country is running out of clean water, along with the rest of the world. And it takes a lot of water to make a single cheeseburger. Over 2500 liters, in fact [2]. That's equivalent to about 5000 single-serve (500 ml) plastic water bottles. For one burger! Something has to change, it seems.
The proposal imagines a not-too-distant future where ever-worsening periods of drought induced by global warming have necessitated the implementation of much stricter water-rationing measures across the land, augmenting the French government's 2023 Plan d'action pour une gestion résiliente et concertée de l'eau. Many popular foods are banned as a result, including all beef and cheese products. The installation thus serves as a temple dedicated to preserving a memory of the very last cheeseburger, and of all the water that went into making it.
A simple wood frame establishes a rectilinear volume within the courtyard of the Hôtel de Grave. 5000 recycled plastic bottles line the walls – supported by two layers of mesh – creating a diaphanous skin that mediates views across the enclosure, blurring the distinction between inside and out. At the center stands a pedestal, and on top the immortal cheeseburger rests, preserved in a clear acrylic case. Visitors who wish to pay their respects are encouraged to leave flowers, which can be placed in the empty bottles. Over the course of the week the project is gradually transformed as these flowers accumulate, lining the temple's interior, providing a colorful reminder of our insatiable desire.
sources: 1. rtl.fr, 2. sierraclub.org
