The role of technology in providing the efficiency of kitchen design

ABSTRACT: The Kitchen Concept has gone through very radical changes since its existence. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was only used by cooks and servants and what went on in the kitchen was not of any concern to the rest of the household occupants. As the meals were served in the dining room, the aesthetical aspect of the kitchen was not important. When servants were abolished, women resumed their duties in the kitchen. Technological advancements did not ease the chores that they had to perform but only added more on top of everything else. As women searched for jobs outside of the kitchen, the kitchen itself had evolved into a multifunctional space that was as important as the rest of the house in terms of aesthetics. Nowadays a lot of time and money is spent in the kitchen to make it more appealing to guests and owners alike. In today’s kitchen, there are multiple solutions to increase efficiency around it to reduce the time spent for cleaning and cooking. With the development of the kitchen industry, capability of creating a functional kitchen design is being greatly considered. Existence of issues such as lack of space and visual quality, in addition to the requirements for careful planning brings up the consideration for solution such as technology. Technology, as an individual aspect in the design process, in addition to the fact that it is being constantly developed, it has its own effect on kitchen design, and its components. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the relationship between kitchen design and technology by questioning the role of technology in the efficiency of kitchens through ergonomic comfort. In this research, efficiency and physical comfort as well as ergonomic dimensions for kitchen design are investigated. Furthermore, the evolution of kitchens in relation to technology is studied. In the case study section, a number of companies are selected and analyzed in a variety of aspects including technology. This research is based on the qualitative methods that explore the benefits of technological improvements in kitchen designs and the interpretative research methods which is a type of qualitative research. It also includes quantitative research methods for determining the role of technology in international kitchen brands. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………