Introduction

Our proposal investigates how a home may be configured provide a greater variety of spaces for collective and individual activities. We believe that despite smaller domestic environments, the Kitchen will serve as the most important zone for collective interaction.

Family Profile

The family that we have profiled have relocated for career purposes. Anxieties regarding job security have encouraged both parents study as well as maintain a variety of jobs. Training is offered by the fathers employer but results in irregular working hours six days a week. His partner shares a job with another young mother and studies at home through the Open University.

Territorial Claims

The family place great importance on the time they spend together. The parents work hard to provide sufficient periods of social interaction but long for moments of privacy and contemplation. For both parents the delineation between work and leisure is hard to define but they are eager to help their children develop healthy social skills want their children to appreciate the importance of work and play, both collectively and individually.

Spatial Configuration

The kitchen should enable the process of cooking and eating to be a more enjoyable collective event. The kitchen consists of modular storage and seating units; configurations of these components aim to create a more harmonious fusion between space and furniture.

The Kitchen Table

The proposal defines the kitchen table as the dominant communal space. It is used for accommodating guests, enjoying games and hobbies, and invites intimate family discussions. Smaller domestic spaces force us to be more selective about the possessions we retain. The table should be a well crafted element, and comfortable chairs for each family member will play a unique role in the overall arrangement.

Preparation Area

Where possible, kitchen counters become double sided; enabling the cook to share the activities of the table. The washing and preparation of food becomes a central activity and the cooking zone remains concealed within a cabinet that ventilates through a suspended hood. The kitchen is given greater emphasis by a suspended storage, lighting and ventilation canopy. Despite a small floor area, the reduced height differentiates this zone from adjacent spaces

Kitchen as Threshold

The kitchens proximity to the entrance allows it to serve as a threshold between outside and inside.. The kitchen becomes a transitional zone separating public and private space acoustically and physically. Adjacent Space / Intermediate Space The families busy schedule demands that the kitchen and surrounding spaces offer a variety of uses. The intermediate zones between the living and kitchen spaces enable the family to enjoy different activities yet remain in close proximity to one another. The kitchen is located at a lower level to the rest of the apartment. The step up to more private zones provides storage, seating and play possibilities around the kitchen boundary.

System Building

We have also considered how the modular kitchen might inform the way we construct other domestic spaces. A building system might also be envisaged, where visual and acoustic separation is achieved through structurally stable furniture components rather than partition walls. In our scheme each unit offers storage and seating possibilities. In addition to taller elements, lower components provide an amalgam of storage and seating that connect spaces horizontally. These components are also be employed along changes in floor level.

Educational Role

With renewed contact to the process of cooking the kitchens role as a place to learn is also explored further. The kitchen also provides an important educational role. Recycling encourages us to look closer at the products we discard. The identification of products into moveable containers becomes part of an educational game shared by the children. Anxieties regarding the use of genetically modified foodstuffs will encourage the development of technology to identify the source of the food we eat. The proximity of a small outdoor area or balcony allows plants and herbs to be cultivated and cared for by the children.