electrolux kitchen competition

Task

The competition sponsor’s mandate was to: “Inspire us with your design ideas for a thoughtfully designed, beautiful kitchen space that marries form and function.”
Other stated competition requirements were few, leaving much to the imagination.  My approach was therefore expansive and wide-ranging, but also based on some specific, idiosyncratically theoretical principles.

Principles

Old houses deserve (and indeed perhaps, require) new, efficient kitchens for conservation of energy.  Conservation of labor should be considered just as legitimate and worthy a goal as is the conservation of energy.  Given our busy, demanding, contemporary lifestyles, true “luxe” may be defined as the richness of having extra leisure time – time which is generated through the use of labor-saving devices or methods paired with energy conservation.

Solutions

This convertible indoor/outdoor kitchen derives its form as a new pavilion attached to an imaginary rural house. The space is wrapped on three sides with folding window-walls to allow for indoor/outdoor conversion, but also to promote ease of maintenance.  Inverse-sloping roof planes allow harvested rainwater to be funneled to a centralized collection point, where it drains into an underground cistern. Filtered water is then piped to special kitchen utility faucets, dedicated for the purpose of efficient floor and surface cleaning, using traditional and proven “hose technology”. With the indoor/outdoor kitchen, there’s no need for a duplicate outdoor kitchen in warm weather. Its multi-functional arrangement enhances and supports multi-generational living in a flowing spatial arrangement where kids can play and pets can roam.