SB1: (Research) Effects of Urbanisation on Kitchen Space

Urbanisation

the process of making an area more urban; is the increase in the proportion of people living in towns and cities. 

• by 2050 there will be about 2.5 million more people mainly in Africa and Asia.

Due to urbanisation, for the past few years people have decided to join the "tiny house movement" (moving to smaller houses, for more cost efficient and environmentally friendly lifestyle). Another more prominent movement is having 'compact kitchens', especially is apartments or condos with less space, (As regular houses are usually 100 sq. ft, compact kitchens usually have to fit on a 6 - 8 sq. ft space). 

Compact Kitchens

Compact Kitchens aims to be a space and cost efficient alternative to regular size kitchens and now is mostly beneficial especially for small living spaces in urban cities.

Existing Compact Kitchens 

1) Compact Concept's 'Circle Kitchen' 

+ circle kitchen set
+ only 1.8 square metres (space efficient)
+ highly functional but also stylish and modern (fits people's taste in modern living?)
+able to rotate up to 180 degrees (flexibility)
+ provide various equiptment and appliance e.g. sink, microwave, fridge, cabinets, storage etc. 
- $6.500 - $ 15,000 (NOT COST EFFICIENT)
- how will it fit various kitchen layouts? probably not appropriate for gallery type kitchens 

https://freshome.com/2009/08/25/circled-kitchen-by-compact-concepts/

2) Kitchoo Kitchen - 'Rectangular Compact Kitchen 

+ very compact fit for small apartment spaces or terrace houses
+ compact w/ 2 burner induction hob, sink, fridge and small 2 space drawers (can also add a dishwasher and a range hood)
- only appropriate for very small spaces, probably for a single/ 2 person household
- not for families

https://www.homedit.com/compact-kitchen-designs-for-small-spaces/

3) Come Together (Albrecht Seeger & Martin Klinke)

+ various size options caters to different spaces & users (small, medium, large) 
+ can accomodate up to three guest or four with pull out chairs/stool
+ fit for small kitchen as it's modelled around 1 sq metres of space. 
+ easily accessible; slide i n trays etc.
- stool maybe too difficult for elders/children/disabled to sit down on as it's very narrow
- can become crowded (traffic congestion around the kitchen when there's more than 5 people

https://www.designboom.com/design/albrecht-seeger-martin-klinke-come-together/ 

4) Carré (Robert Schierjott & Ulrich Kohl)

+ great for customisation of needs - catering to people various needs
+ space efficient (1 sq metres) 
+ compact cubes can be pushed and pulled out
+ 2 modules (Main and Secondary) *Main is fixed for essentials e.g. gas port, kitchne sink and counter) ; *Second is movable and can be combined with main to make 6 configurations changing the shape of the design. 
- may be hard to get around
- sharp edges, irregular layout (not children friendly) 
- traffic congestion in kitchen is too many people crowd around.
no space for other essentials e.g. microwave, fridge (kitchen triangle is not complete)

Other Considerations

+ Compact storage containers - recyclable pots, glass bottles, baskets etc to reduce waste
+ move non-essential kitchen appliances somewhere elsse e.g. washing machine to bathroom? to maximise space in kitchen 
+ have trolleys or movable storage?
+ utilise unused spaces for storage

Thoughts & Reflection:

I think my focus on the compact kitchens regarding to my research on the effects n urbanisation to kitchen has given me som indication on which direction I should create my ideas to. Incorporating ideas about compact kitchens and it's advantages towards space efficiency and possible cost efficiency I thought maybe I can apply these to reinventing the kitchen spaces in different house types mainly found in the UK e.g. terrace, semi-detached and detached as well as kitchen layouts. This also led me to think of maybe breaking the kitchen triangle. can I have them all in one direction instead?