Type Pizza-oven in community garden
Date July 2024
Client SET Community garden
Location Amsterdam IJburg
Collaborators Marta Rota, Alexander Schabracq, Tayfun, Dora Mester, Marino Bottin
Phase Solly King
Materials bricks, bottles, steel, cob, straw, granite

The oven in the SET community garden on IJburg was created as a vibrant addition to the outdoor kitchen. Built on a plinth of reclaimed bricks, its earth dome forms a welcoming hearth, a glowing center that draws people together to cook, share, and connect. Every meal becomes a moment of togetherness, strengthening the social fabric and celebrating the spirit of community living.

Over the course of a two-day participatory workshop, about ten community members came together to build the cob oven from the ground up. People of all ages and backgrounds joined in, setting a symbolic tone for the project. After an introduction to building with earth, everyone quite literally dug in, learning by doing and shaping the oven with their own hands.

Crafted from an array of repurposed materials, bricks, bottles, a stone slab, and straw, the oven’s technical design was developed by Marta and Quita, but worked out with other craftspeople like Alexander and Tayfun. They created a sturdy brick base, fitted a steel door and chimney, and then together with the community shaped the cob dome that forms the heart of the pizza oven.

When the oven was finally ready, the community gathered for its very first pizza party, a celebration fired by everyone’s hard work. As the heat built inside the cob dome, people arrived with dough, toppings, laughter, and curiosity. The first pizzas slid in, and soon the whole garden filled with the smell of baking crust and melting cheese. What began as a construction project became a moment of genuine connection, proof that a simple oven can spark a shared joy that brings a community closer together.