Rethinking the architecture of kitchen: A review of domestic kitchen design development for the food revolution of the 21st century

Abstract

Gastronomy and architecture can be considered artefacts which shape people’s daily lives. Facing the global challenge of sustainability, architects are required to provide better solutions for ways of living, including daily gastronomic practices. While addressing people’s needs through advancements in cooking technology and the spatial strategies of kitchens, architects can provide adaptable solutions that answer the four pillars of sustainability in society, environment, economy and culture.

This thesis researches on the development of the users’ habits, spatial requirements and architectural design of home kitchens since the modern movement of the mid-19th century in a Western context. The analysis aims to advance a design framework, as well as evaluative measures, for architects to design adaptive kitchens for the future that cater to the needs of different household types or forms of cohabitation. Within the design framework, the project proposes a co-farming facility as part of the domestic kitchen. Finally, the feasibility of completing the circular food system with this new kitchen is being studied on the scale of a housing project in Madrid.