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The history of kitchen zones
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The basic thinking behind DYNAMIC SPACE is not new!
Research was carried out in the 18th and 19th centuries and approaches were developed which today have mostly been forgotten. DYNAMIC SPACE takes up many of these old ideas where they left off (ideas such as proper work height, shorter distances, details from the Frankfurt Kitchen and others) and readapted them for todays kitchens.
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Work height
The basis for making the kitchen user the focus came about from a study done by the US Dept. of Agriculture in 1850. This immediately struck a cord with kitchen workers who had long suffered back problems through poor posture, which could easily be avoided by adapting the work height to suit the individual.
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String study
As far back as 1922, Christine Fredrericks in the US conducted a type of string study that looked at the placement of kitchen furniture and equipment.
The results made clear that the arrangement of kitchen furniture and equipment had a huge impact on distances travelled and also the time spent working in the kitchen.
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Frankfurt Kitchen
The Viennese architect Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky developed the concept for the Frankfurt Kitchen around 1926. She worked closely with the architect Ernst May of Frankfurt am Main to develop a progressive housing program which provided better design options for living areas.
Distances that have to be covered for different work and motion sequences were analysed with a tape measure and stop watch, the resulting data was then used to help design the kitchen. This work-saving kitchen was installed in over 10,000 flats.
After the Second World War in both Europe and the US this kitchen model became the architectural standard. To a large extent this kitchen can be regarded as the prototype for standardisation of kitchen design.
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The basic ideas include- optimised kitchen flows
- shorter distances
- maximum in the least amount of space (space above the door was also used at that time)
- organisational options (inner dividing systems for cutlery and kitchen utensils, pouring systems for open foodstuffs, drip dry cabinet for plates, etc.)
- kitchen utensils at the right activity location, well thought out details (slanted drying sink basin, drip trays in pots & pans cabinet, chilled food cabinet with vents opening to the outside
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Planning storage space
The architect Adolf Schneck attempted to design a kitchen geared towards the required storage space in 1927. His ideas regarding storage space lead to a list of kitchen items for the small household, which was used as a starting point for kitchen planning.
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Work triangle
The work triangle was developed by Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, in the 1950s. This relational model of the paths between the main work areas of the kitchen describes a triangle between storage, preparation with cleaning and the cooking area.
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Kitchen user as the focus
The work triangle in a proper allocation of three work areas - right-handed people clockwise, left-handed people anticlockwise - showed that the habits and requirements of the kitchen user should be taken into account during kitchen planning.
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By the way...
The string study was also carried out over 30 years ago by the "The Modern Kitchen" joint venture (AMK). The results of which placed major emphasis on ergonomic flows in the kitchen.
An ergonomic study, carried out in 1991 at the initiative of AMK, contributed basic knowledge regarding ergonomics in the kitchen, the kitchen zone, the work area and cleaning area. The ergonomic study increased standard kitchen equipment since the importance of the full extension was recognised over the single extension. As a result more drawers and pull-outs were used in base units.
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DYNAMIC SPACE
