Kitchens- Changing disposition of a kitchen in a household/Domesticity

Kitchens

Changing disposition of a kitchen in a household

Domesticity

Vilee Wagh

MArch Housing & Urbanism

Tutor: Lawrence Barth

Evolution of the kitchen space and food consumption in a household

Privacy and blurring the boundaries

Generating different relationships from an urban perspective

Permitting variation | Kitchen and its crossovers

The kitchen has a fairly important role in shaping the life of the home The concept of kitchen and its associations have evolved ever since the 1800s Apart from that, kitchen has been associated with functions other than simply cooking, for example, storage, display, a place of informal family gathering, and a place to situate the woman of the house such that she is in the visual control of the rest of the house Traditionally, the kitchens were predominantly used by the women of the household This essay aims at investigating the disposition of the kitchen in different setting through a series of conceptual questions. The changing character of this part of the house and its adaptive nature and future is of importance as it helps us address a wider set of issues regarding the sequencing of spaces in residential living environments of families with shifting lifestyles.

The typology of kitchen affects and shapes the daily domestic environment of a house. Through a combination of questions and a selected few projects the essay analyses the different ways of positioning the kitchen and its role in the wider urban assemblage. The intersection between the architecture of a dwelling and the transformation of space through various ways of addressing the location of kitchen help us integrate a theoretical position on the change in modern domestic environments that look at a more contemporary state of domestic affairs. The genealogy of the various spaces associated with the kitchen have undergone a sequence of changes over time in different types of housing. The different scenarios in which the kitchen was given a specific thought and importance have been discussed further Family as a category of thought highly influences the role of kitchens in the inner workings of a home, while the kitchen can be looked as a space of negotiation to cultivate relationships both architecturally and socially

Evolution of the kitchen space and food consumption in a household

The traditional notion of a kitchen has its roots based in the most basic and raw concept related to food consumption and making, as is seen in the 1800s, where the fireplace hearth was the center of all cooking. The notion of a ‘living room’ was separated when the cooking stove was invented around the 1850’s, becoming the new cooking spot (i) The social construct of the time represented a female gender dominance in this field and the associated domestic activities were thus influenced along with the basic act of cooking An early photo from the late 1890s helps us understand a change in the way the internal layout of the kitchen was laid, as it was then that the Niagara Stove Co Stove (ii) was set against a wall with the pipe going upwards along with it

This is indicative of the idea that a space like this which was closely related to services was laid against the wall. Keeping the rest of the floor free. The set-up was a very compact one, focused on the only act of cooking and minimal storage, almost a state of minimalism as mentioned by Mies when he talks about ‘existenzminimum’, which is based on the optimization of standardized dwelling types for working class families.1 What is observed later is the dawn of individualization of the system that would operate with interconnected variables to a result that would be constructional, spatial or structural.

Later years portray a shift that gave more importance to storage and organization while reserving a free surface for preparation, like mixing, cutting and garnishing.(iv)

The 1900s witnessed a change where the kitchen assumed a larger space in the layout of the house where the lady of the house could spend more time. It incorporated additional furniture elements like a rocking chair, giving the kitchen a new identity and spatial character in the house. (iii)

Image 1

Image i. 1800s

Image ii. (Left) Niagara Stove Co Stove

Image iii. (Right) Additional furniture elements

Image iv. More storage space

1. Ábalos, I. The Good Life: A guided visit to the houses of modernity 2001

The introduction of the industrially produced Hoosier Cabinet Company (v) professed the idea of a standalone cabinet that could be set next to a stove and a sink. This is indirectly related to the idea of optimizing the circulation space especially within the traditional household, connecting and condensing spaces between the barn, pantry, shed and the well It also marked a cultural shift in the way cooking was looked at, making it a source of pleasure and not just a routine task

The model kitchen assumed the character of being highly integrated and efficient with the large sink and preparation area set up along with storage above it. This basic diagram has been improvised and built upon in the later years while dealing with different domestic environments.(vi)

One of the major shifts around 1915 is the act of cooking starting to become a family affair. Going beyond the necessary and minimal concepts of food consumption in a household, this opened up new doors and ideas of kitchen being a place of gathering. This also indicates a change in the structure of the house, where the children were taught how to cook and be involved in the daily activities of domestic life. As Nicholas Rose talks about ‘Maximising the Mind’2 where Walkerdine talks about how parents could teach Mathematics to their children without even realizing it, by spending time together by doing activities that involve counting items in the basket, weighing and measuring and so on. This also hints at changing attitudes of homebased learning making it an integral and incidental part of the day-to-day events.

Image v.

Image vi.

Image vii.

2. Rose, N. Governing the Soul: The Shaping of the Private Self 1989 Part Three 14. ‘Maximising the mind’

Storage + Display

One of the most important yet less talked about element that inevitably dominates the amount of space taken up by the kitchen is the storage space. The idea of a pantry was cultivated in medieval times when the food and supplies were stored in specific rooms according to the needs of the items, like the meats were stored in a larder, the alcohol stored in the buttery and the bread was stored in the pantry. This distinguished the idea of storage from the kitchen in a sense that it left the spatial quality to be as clean and free of clutter as possible. The pantry found its location in the middle of the kitchen and the formal dining room that ensured ease of circulation between the three. The pantry also held importance in terms of security of the house and was also at one time guarded by the butler to safeguard from thievery. Although in the later years the concept of storage shifted and incorporated quantities of dishes and cutlery that would become items on display for the guests to see. The cabinets became moments of curating fine crockery and utensils that would lure the guests to the kitchen. The transition of the storage to display is an interesting one as it expanded the idea of locating items in one space while also changing the use of the immediately adjacent space. This resulted in the kitchen becoming an informal meeting area for the ladies in the house These observations help us understand and question the idea of storage, display and organization when it comes to modern day houses that give little importance to the way kitchens are positioned in the house The kitchen holds a strong potential in changing the layout of the entire floorplate and even the structure, creating unexpected crossovers while encouraging community gatherings and neighborliness.

Image viii. (Top) Storage cabinets

Image ix. (Bottom) Display

How does kitchen respond to the question of privacy and blurring of boundaries between interior and exterior?

Project : Diener and Diener Architects, Java Island Housing, Amsterdam

A courtyard building and a long house connect the Java Island and the KNSM-island

The size of these structures establish a relationship between the old harbor buildings and those that were added subsequently The simplistic and straightforward form along with its traditional materiality achieves a sense of commitment to the wider continuity and community The courtyard and the ground and seem to have no particular purpose or inter-relationship, but the courtyard works like a tight form, wrapped by a gallery access that holds domestic environments extended in abstract ways by each of the household. The floorplan raises the question of privacy, based on which part of our daily routine and lives are we ready to share with our neighbors and public in general. If a person wants to make himself available visually to the other people in the building, how would he do it? This has been answered by exploring the concept of kitchens on the periphery on a unit plan that negotiates the space in the gallery with the courtyard. Using the role of kitchen and sharing the activities associated with it with the community creates a kind of hierarchy of spaces that creates kitchen as a threshold which is the collective experience of the space. This keeps the bedrooms tucked inside in the plan away from this layer of collectivized environment. The hierarchy of spaces is such that the services are lined along the wrapped gallery, addressing questions of boundary and its nature between the inside and outside. Through a series of continuities and thresholds that extend right into the flat, these strict boundaries are blurred, focusing more on the materiality of sharing and witnessing trust based relationships The crucial part of the planning is the dimension of the bedroom that directs the other elements of the floorplate The building encourages forms of cohabitation independent of traditional family structures 3 The building exudes a character that embraces fluid movement in the depth of the plan

Image xiii. (Bottom) View from the courtyard

Image xii. (Top) Floor Plan

Project: RiffRaff 3&4 by Meili, Peter & Partner & Staufer & Hasler, Berlin

The expansion of RiffRaff 1&2 to RiffRaff 3&4 is located in the central city environment of Zurich , a strong example of typological intensification that retains the existing morphology By virtue of gaining space and functionality in the pre-existing setting, the project provides a richer urban life and aims at developing the expanded dwellings What is interesting is in the way it deals with the concept of kitchens

Unlike the usual norm, it challenges the notion of situating kitchens in the core of the floorplan. Instead, it pushes the kitchen sink and the bathroom sink all near the window. This achieves freedom in the depth of the space, which also allows the unit to pull back from the life of the city around. This sort of internal layout helps in generated of depth through modification in the configurations. It creates a new personal experience while someone is using the kitchen sink, combining the visual and functional attributes of the space. When one is washing vegetables, one can look outside the window, a quick moment of washing one’s hand is complimented by the quick peek outside the window to indulge in the life beyond. Through an open bath without toilet, a second path is set up through the apartment, interweaving the kitchen with the living room.4

The large windows seem to magnify the urban scenery as they draw it into the living room. The conscious decision to put the plumbing right at the edge makes the kitchen get tucked into the space freeing up the space. One is drawn directly into the depth of the plan. This also leads to the idea of creating active facades, making them points of interaction and shared experiences The extensions to the wider urban landscape helps it work better in both the conditions of facing into the inner courtyard as well as the street while maintaining the inner integrity of the floorplan

The concept of getting long lines extended diagonals through the length of the plan is achieved in this as discussed in the Case study Houses 5

How can the kitchen be used to generate different relationships from an urban perspective while freeing up interior space?

5. McCoy, E. Case Study Houses, 1945-1962 1977

Image xix. Floorplans RiffRaff 3&4

Image xx & xxi. Kitchen Sink at the edge RiffRaff 3&4

Permitting variation | Kitchen and its crossovers

Projects: R50- Cohousing, Berlin, Ifau und Jesko Fezer + Heide & von Beckerath

KNSM Island Skydome, Wiel Arets Architects

The concept of collective and affordable living and working has been in high demand in the recent years and strives to provide spaces that would benefit both the individual as well as the wider community In addition to that, variation and individualization of space requires a certain simplicity in the way its service areas function that would allow greater degree of freedom in having spaces for living, working and sleeping.

The R50-cohousing project in Berlin-Kreuzberg is a project that was developed through close collaboration with the clients and dealt with different processes of occupancy. The ground floor holds a double height flexible community space that connects the building’s main entrance with the public street space. Quite opposite to what we observed in the Java Island courtyard project, this design explores the idea of all-around balconies on the exterior of the building which allows a direct dialogue and creates a relationship between the building’s architecture and its use. What sets this project apart from the rest is the way in which an extremely regular and compact plan can accommodate a wide range of variation in the spatial organization. The internal layout has a consistent logic of two service cores and one access while promoting individuality and personalization through leaving the use of materials and a collective choice of fittings to the user. The employment of a structured yet open design process uses the main idea of keeping the kitchen and the bathroom tucked in deep into the plan, leaving the ends of the block free for other functions. In a purely practical manner, this type of layout looks at kitchen to be at its efficient best with its location such that it creates a long line of vision right till the main door, promoting control to the user working in the kitchen over the other areas of the house The orientation is such that it addresses both the internal and the external environments while being highly functional and integrated

One of the fundamental things it achieves is the need to not have any scaffolding which reduced long term maintenance and instead creates a gathering space in the balcony which is accessible from the kitchen as well. Running along the same lines as the Java Island project, it creates this threshold between the kitchen and the façade and goes beyond the binary boundaries but creating this buffer space. A question related to the quality of the space can be asked, based on how deep should this extension of the balcony be to retain this sense and code of neighborliness?

Image xxii. Floorplans – Variations in layouts

Image xxiii. (Left) Ground floor – Collectivised environment with the gallery

Image xxiv. (Right) Interior layout

The KNSM Island Skydome designed by Wiel Arets explores the idea of kitchen being a place of crossover and harnessing neighborliness. The floorplate comprises of five distinct units which function almost like they are five towers in themselves. What makes this project interesting is the way in which the internal layout of some of the units permits shared environments and interaction through combining a space that belongs to two different units.

The kitchens are designed keeping practicality in mind, without leaving room for views or spatial connections within the house. Instead, the kitchen share the little outdoor space with the balcony of the bedroom, creating interlocking spaces that foster neighborliness and decorum. In a typical Dutch fashion, the building has does not romanticize anything but when it comes to the core inner part of the layout, it becomes highly varied and interesting in terms of dealing with different orientations of the spaces, each unit stacking on itself. The indentations in the façade permit deeper light into the plan while keeping the circulation tight and efficient. The building exudes bold materialization and achieves something that is collaborative and associative in nature. Apart from that, the ground floor level contains fluctuations in height, creating a skyline at ground level, which allows the views to be afforded through the indoor car park from ground level as well.

Image xxv. Floorplan

Image xxvi. View

Conclusion

The critical reflections on the transformations in the space occupied by a kitchen in domestic architecture help us find a thread that connects the past, present and the future. The idea of kitchen in the house as a place that would influence the way other basic activities of the house is cultivated. It can be a starting point while thinking of ways in which the space can adapt and morphologically change the wider urban area through connecting spaces visually, optimizing the space in dense neighborhoods when it comes to central city living, harboring trust based relationships and promoting neighborliness and becoming an instrument of innovation in modern affordable and collective housing. Activities related to kitchen are unique in the sense that they are ambiguously related to the cross boundaries between private and something that is more collective. Rituals of our food consumption are very much a part of how we constitute wider systems of community living and crossovers. Thus, by breaking the binary boundaries between the public and the private, the positioning and addressing the kitchen as a concept can be a starting point of design research that brings about a change in the urban residential typologies The ideologies associated with kitchen embrace future through adopting technological innovations and can thus be a source of learning changing notions of domesticity

Ábalos, I. The Good Life: Aguided visit to the houses of modernity 2001

Rose, N. Governing the Soul: The Shaping of the Private Self 1989 Part Three 14. ‘Maximising the mind’

McCoy, E. Case Study Houses, 1945-1962 1977

(https://www.archdaily.com/593154/r50-nil-cohousing-ifau-und-jesko-fezer-heideand-von-beckerath 2013

(http://www.dienerdiener.ch/en/project/residential-buildings-knsm-and-java-island 1995)

https://dustyoldthing.com/evolution-of-kitchen/

https://www.atlasofplaces.com/architecture/riffraff-34/

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/the-kitchen-pantry-a-brief-his-112005

https://www.archdaily.com/593154/r50-nil-cohousing-ifau-und-jesko-fezer-heideand-von-beckerath 2013)

https://www.archdaily.com/257204/flashback-knsm-island-skydome-wiel-aretsarchitects