kitchen triangle

KITCHENS:

Kitchens being the primary workplace within the house should be well located internally with respect to the pantry, dining room and utility room. It is a room in which a householder may spend long periods so careful design is important. The kitchen is also often a meeting point for the family if it contains a dining area.

• Minimum area for a cooking recess is 5-6 m².
• For normal kitchen it is 8-10 m².
• Normal kitchen with dining or snack area is 12-14 m².

Kitchen Arrangement:

• It is important to keep the kitchen work area compact, even if the kitchen is of the large “living” type or a small type and an equal consideration should be given to a possibility of more than a person working there.
• The kitchen arrangement may vary according to their shape and size but the basic function at different area of the kitchen should be well known.
• The classic kitchen triangle can be also followed. 

Kitchen triangle:

The classic kitchen triangle regulates in the workflow. The three points of the triangle are: Sink, Oven and Refrigerator. In the kitchen, the Cook should be able to move unimpeded between the three main points, and the distances between these points should not be far.

Kitchen arrangement layouts:

ONE WALL LAYOUTS:

• Simple and inexpensive and perfect for long and narrow kitchen.
• While it does not follow the kitchen triangle its linear design still allows for unimpeded traffic flow. Counter space is at a premium.
•  It is not the best design though as it can be improved with either the corridor or L - shape kitchen design plans.

CORRIDOR LAYOUTS:

• With counters on the both sides the corridor style kitchen design is highly functional because it uses the kitchen triangle.
• This layout gives a bit more space for the cabinets, though crowding between the two main works spaces may be a problem. Still, the corridor style kitchen design is a highly affordable and functional plan.
• This design is mostly used in houses and apartments.

L SHAPED KITCHEN DESIGN PLAN:

• This arrangement is very popular, though this plan work out with the crowding problems found in the corridor plan, we still find the kitchen triangle, though the range and refrigerator distances are a bit longer.
• This arrangement allows much more counter and cabinet space than the corridor design. The corner counter space is difficult to reach for food preparation so it is often used for storing mixers, toaster ovens and small appliances.
•  With the increase in the counter space, a double sink can also be installed.

DOUBLE L SHAPED KITCHEN DESIGN PLAN:

• Highly evolved kitchen design layout, this double L allows two work stations.
• The smaller “L” has a cook top (not an oven) and a sink. The major cooking operations are focused on this area, while food preparation goes on in the larger of the “L” spaces. These larger “L” also has tons of open counter space because the cook top has been moved away.
• Though highly evolved, there is not much gaining of space for cabinets: the smaller “L” has only a short run along the wall for cabinets (though cabinets can be hung off the ceiling above the cook top, if required.)

U SHAPED KITCHEN DESIGN PLAN:

• The U shaped kitchen plan can be thought of as a corridor shape plan with a closed end giving extra space for a range or a sink.
• This arrangement maintains good workflow by means of the kitchen triangle. The close end also provides plenty of space for extra cabinets.

KITCHEN STORAGE:

If there is any room in your house that you need efficiency, the kitchen is the number one place. For a novice cook, one may be trying to rush and finish cooking. While a seasoned veteran chef will tell  an efficient kitchen, is a happy kitchen. In home, safety, organization, and great food all stem from the efficient use of storage.

From small galley kitchens, to enormous gourmet kitchens, follow these ideas to help prevent frantic searching and enjoy the experience of cooking.

CABINETS:

• The cabinets are the  ideal place for storage. It can used as the upper and lower cabinetry of the kitchen. Although, the reality is all cabinet storage is not created equal.
• If you are only using 1 or 2 standard stationary shelves per cabinet, you are not maximizing their use so try to use pull out shelves for large pots and pans, mixing bowls, and small appliances as they help in  maximizing the storage for stacking, as well as save your back from digging to the back of the cabinet.
• Long, vertical pull out storage are ideal for spices, and condiments. Ideally, these are placed adjacent to the stove/oven area for quick reach, and return of the items.
• Adjacent to the kitchen sink, pullout trash and recycle bins are handy as cleaning of hands immediately follows after handling these  items.

DRAWERS:

• Try to separate large and small utensils from each other as it allows for ease of choosing the right utensil without fumbling and searching.
• Locating aluminum foil, wax paper, trash bags, and storage bags in a drawer prevents boxes from collapsing and falling off of a pantry shelf.
• If space has been created, refrigerated drawers are available for keeping  food and snack items in arms reach. These drawers enable everyone to get their own food easily, and won’t interrupt your food preparation.

KITCHEN ISLANDS:

There are portable and fixed kitchen islands that add storage and extra counter space.

Islands with casters are ideal for kitchen’s that need flexibility in space and function.

Fixed kitchen islands can house shelves, drawers, a lower microwave shelf, and display area for cookbooks and collectibles.

 Kitchen organizer professional’s can also help in planning out each storage space to get the maximum use out of cabinets and drawers.

OPEN SHELVING:

 Open shelves are used over the counter to maximize on storage and display at the same time.These are

 considered for storing dishware, and decorative pieces.

Pots and pans can hang from pot racks to add storage and ease in cooking over the stove as storage isn’t always about hiding items but to serve a function and look beautiful  on doing it.

The enjoyment in the kitchen depends on how efficiently you can cook, to move on to enjoying your meal. These storage tips may just make you a happier cook.

MATERIAL:

• The materials and finishes which minimize the maintenance and cleaning should be used.
•  There should be sufficiently light in color to create a pleasant work atmosphere.
• Decorative materials like suitable colors, matching textures and decorations should be used to create an atmosphere that is attractive, cheerful and restful.

LIGHTING:                  

The kitchen is a heart of every home. It is where comforting and delicious feasts are created and devoured, secret and revelations are discovered, and love and kindness are shown so the kitchen should be properly complimented not only with appropriate decor but also with attractive lighting designs.

A perfect kitchen lighting design can make any kitchen stand out, not only will the proper lighting accentuate your kitchen space and appliances, it can make it appear as it was professionally done even when it is not.

For proper implementation of a kitchen lightning design, there are four kinds of lights can be used.

These are the task, accent, ambient and decorative lighting.

• The task lighting focuses on making the kitchen as working place. This is the most appropriate lighting that lets you see you sharp and accurate. They usually are situated between the work surface and the person running the kitchen.
• The accent lighting, on the other hand, accentuates the whole kitchen and adds dimension and depth to the whole space and is usually low voltage. These fixtures can be placed inside a glass cabinet to spotlight delicate china, wonderful glassware, and other beautiful pieces.
• Ambient lighting can immediately improve your kitchen look. They need extra lights to create a soft yet warm glow that soften shadows, these kind of lighting creates the homey feel that was missing in the kitchen.
•  Decorative lighting adds zest and sparkle to the kitchen. With decorative lighting, make sure not to overdo it as it can make your space look overdone and cluttered.

Any properly situated kitchen light can improve your kitchen’s look.

Any light helps us to invent and create numerous finger licking meals, perk up the mood, and make you feel even more comfortable and cozy.

VENTILATION:

• The kitchen should be well ventilated.
•  The strong wind direction around the kitchen area should not be followed.
•  The exhaust fan can be used for removing strong objectionable kitchen odors.

FLOORING:

The kitchen is typically the busiest spot in the house so flooring that wears well too, children, pets, heavy foot traffic and kitchen spills can all take a toll, so when weighing flooring options think about a floor's durability and ease of maintenance.

Here's how the various options stack up:

WOOD:

• Wood fits a variety of decor styles, is warm underfoot and easy on the legs, and is a quiet floor option.
• The maintenance and durability of a wood floor depends greatly on what species of wood is being used and how that wood is finished.
•  One of the worries with wood is that it may scratch, but remember that wood floors can always be sanded and refinished.

LAMINATE

• Laminate floor is extremely durable and requires little maintenance.
• Laminate are factory-finished material, so it can be put in over an existing floor, making installation a snap.
• While laminate has its advantages, it lacks the warmth typically associated with natural wood and may be noisy at a times.

CERAMIC TILE

•  Ceramic tile allows for a great deal of customization in terms of colors and patterns though tile is easy to clean with a damp mop, the surrounding grout can be difficult to maintain. So larger tiles can be used to minimize the grouting.
•  Ceramic tile can be hard on the legs (and even harder on dropped dishes), doesn't help with sound control in a kitchen and can be cold underfoot.

VINYL

• Vinyl sheeting or peel-and-stick tiles can be a good bet for the budget-minded model.
• Vinyl is easy to install and is available in an endless array of colors and patterns. One of the drawbacks to vinyl floors is that the edges can curl.

OTHER MATERIALS IN GREEN OPTION:

LINOLEUM:

 Linoleum are made from linseed oil, cork dust, wood flour, tree resins, ground limestone and pigments  which are environmentally friendly.

BAMBOO:

• Another green option, provides the look of wood, but is made from bamboo grass, a rapid-renewable resource.
• If you choose bamboo because it's eco-friendly, make sure the factory finish is formaldehyde-free.

CORK FLOORING:

• Corks are made from the bark of cork oak trees, which are a harvested resource so are eco-friendly. Available in sheets and tile, cork is soft and warm underfoot and is extremely quiet.
• Properly sealed, cork can withstand moisture and can be vacuumed and damp mopped. Minor dents seem to pop out however; deep scratches will permanently damage the floor.

COLORING:

As kitchens cement their role as the central gathering place in the home, these are taking on more vibrant, energetic colors so it is better to have some mixing and matching of colors to create high energy.

Bold Is Beautiful

• Since most appliances are basic black, white or silver, and are still adding bursts of color on other surfaces and most kitchens have minimal wall space, so it is advisable to splash some bold color and make a statement without overpowering the room.
• Colors that complement stainless steel, as well as the darker cabinet colors are in style so mixing and matching of copper, henna and ginger as well as gold tones can be popular options.

Heat Up Your Kitchen with Color

• Adding color doesn't necessarily mean you're stuck with bright hues. Subtle colors are also popular for creating a soothing atmosphere for those who seek both comfort and food experience.
• Warm colors like apricot, yellows and reds continue to be popular in kitchens, as they are comforting and appetite stimulators for good psychology.
• Use of natural background fabrics and textures, such as grass cloth and rattan, along with more subdued and relaxing silver blues, gray-greens and tobacco browns found in nature can also be added to have a touch of depth and interest.

ON HISTORY AND CULTURE…

-Essay by: Bibek Shrestha.

Architectural history is often seen as a cavalcade of styles amid varying concepts of architectural beauty. This view regards the history of our discipline as a completed past that has no vital presence in the practices of the present. As a consequence, contemporary architecture is often presented and treated as an autonomous, self – referential, aesthetic & intellectual realm. And the qualities of its products are judged by the degree of their contempraneity, novelty and apparent uniqueness. Yet any meaningful creative work must be rooted and judged in a continuum of the culture and in the specific discipline or craft. In fundamental sense, then, the relevance of the artistic work is judged by the past as much as future.

Architecture essentially is an existential art that is to say; Architecture articulates our experiences and provides essential frames and horizons for the perception, understanding and evaluation of our own life situations. The very innovative architectural meanings cannot be invented; they are fundamental articulations of the human condition, ones that can only be re-identified and continually expressed anew in effectively surprising ways. Consequently, the true perspective of the architecture is always beyond architecture as an artifact or an anesthetized object- the perspective is one fundamentally reliant on a deeper history and culture. In our globalised world, the architectural practices being instant digital media and incessant deformation, the sheer possibility of “authenticity” and “cultural specificity” on architecture can be questioned. But I however think these notions are a predefined or conservative ways.

Culture is the very historicity of life- a lived reality; not an abstraction or a given narrative and it cannot be fabricated or invented. The experience of authenticity is not a notion of cultural or architectural anthropology; it arises from a full presence of lived and true life.

In today’s globalised culture, the deep problem, which I am facing or let’s say even I can’t deny , is its very experiential and emotional shallowness- its lack of aura of the real, as the current political and economic scenario forces us to support the globalization of lifestyles, customs and values. But the ethical duty of architecture remains: To resist this erosion of cultural, perpetual, historical and human quality.

Architecture continues to possess the capacity to root us in our domicile/adobe to enrich and dignify our daily life, to still further express values of life that gives us genuine satisfaction and joy.

Contemporary architects distribute their signature images around the world the very task and understanding of the architecture is distorted. Instead of being a means of structuring and articulating the living human world the art of architecture presents itself as an instrument of mental manipulation. So, In responding for the given functional, economic and cultural realities and demands, architecture has another responsibility:  To defend the historicity, authenticity and continuity of culture i.e. a critical practice of architecture must be based on internal and autonomous ideals and objectives of the discipline itself, as Responsible design is always based on the dialectics of a reality sense and idealized images of culture. As Alvar Aalto said in 1957 lecture: “Architecture … has an ulterior motive …, the idea of creating paradise … Every building … is intended to show that we wish to build a paradise on Earth for man” .On today’s egotistical  and conceited architectural theatre, this higher meaning of the architecture is lost.

The creative works outcomes are always supra- individual accumulations of experience and wisdom. Like any good poet listens to the “the wisdom of the novel”, in my view, Architects should similarly listen to “the wisdom of architecture”, the accumulated understanding the essence of architectural culture, encoded in the ancient and contemporary traditions of buildings. That’s when Architecture is truly a collective art form, although not only in the sense that it creates lived metaphors that concretizes the cultural and mental structures of the society. Architecture is an art essentially based on collaboration- the obvious co-operation with numerous experts, builders and craftsmen, to be sure – but moreover, collaboration with history and the wisdom that it possess.( I am emphasizing on significance of historical grounding  of creative work but not  promoting  architectural conservatism or implying architects to be an architectural historians. But what I am trying to say is, we need to grasp the continuity of the traditions, as well as the ruptures in the process of tradition.)

Most important, the history of our discipline and practice teaches us an art of respect and humility. The Russian American, poet Joseph Brodsky, once wrote, “Poetry is a tremendous school of insecurity and uncertainty. Poetry-writing it; as well as; reading it – will teach you humility and rather quickly at that, especially if you are both writing and reading it.” Brodsky‘s statement applies equally to architecture – particularly if you are both making it and theorizing about it! To work within our shared architectural heritage is to enter into a special realm. of architectural responsibility and humility. The primary significance of this historical sensibility is to assign you your position in the continued dialogue of culture.

shirish associates work

SHIRISH ASSOCIATES.

Challenges present themselves in many ways. Many people face challenges that are set upon

them by external forces and those forces overwhelm them. Some get the opportunity through the beneficence

of their family and friends to rise above basic survival and face challenges that are not innate to the

human struggle, but are those challenges centered upon higher aspirations. I have been so blessed in my life to

have never struggled for basic survival. Never has the want of food, clothing, or shelter been a cause for me to fail. In as much as I have been blessed, humility enters my heart as I consider how so much of what I have accomplished in my life has been because of those who have lifted me up throughout my life.

So what is architecture, then? Can we even define it? At this point in my life as an architect, I suggest that architecture is like a Platonic form, meaning it is an ideal that in its physical reality can never be obtained. For a building to be called architecture, it must not necessarily reach that ideal, but be in the pursuit of excellence to a degree that exceeds the average. It is an incremental lifting of the standards. Thus, it should be better than what has gone before.

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