Introduction

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Introduction

Kitchen is the nerve centre and the most important premises of any
home and is considered as a place of worship where the Fire God resided
and nourished the whole family (Lagomarsino, 2004).The traditional kitchen
has undergone many changes leading to conventional kitchen (Mathen,
2011). A conventional kitchen is an area within a structure designed for
preparation , cooking and has provision for sink, stove, oven and refrigerator
in the same room (Barret, 2013). The Indian kitchens are reshaping today as
the cosmopolitan population embraces a modern consumption fuelled lifestyle
(Prasad,2011). Cooking style depends on regional food type and community
taste preference which requires elaborate preprocessing and concentration on
making food tastier and spicy. Each kitchen is fine tuned towards meeting the
needs of the food preparation. With the modern food processing appliances in
hand, the task of cooking and the activities in the kitchen has become simpler
for most of the urban ladies.

The kitchen today is the most used room in the whole house and is
being emphasised with modern technologies. Home and health are the king of a
happy life says Grey(1997). Kitchen planning with ergonomic concepts
inducted is the need of the hour in order to have a stress free homemaking
activity. The modern kitchen referred as modular kitchen is basically a range
of fixtures and cabinets which are put together in a planned and functional
manner to make kitchen work easier and comfortable express
Marlone (1999).A modern residential kitchen is equipped with stove, sink,
refrigerator and kitchen cabinets according to modular design. They are
usually designed to suit the customer’s preference as per the space available
in the kitchen as stated by modular kitchen market research report (2014).
The report also forecasted that the Modular Kitchen market in India is
expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 42.93
percent over the period 2013 to 2018. Another consumer survey report of

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 Introduction

modular kitchen market in India conducted by researchonindia.com in 2010

stated that modular kitchen market in India is still at nascent stage but has
tremendous growth potential. Modular kitchens were customized based on the
requirements of the consumer.

Mira et al. (2008) examined the desirability of small-scale houses and

focused on kitchen space planning as critical to well-designed housing.
Designers and builders of small-scale housing offer different options in kitchen
design to meet the needs of the residents by offering well-planned kitchen
with drawers and interior cabinet storage devices. Recognizing the actual use
of kitchen flexibility in designing small-scale housing was adapted to meet
different lifestyles.

All the essential activities in the kitchen require a great deal of energy.
The amount of stress encountered by the women folk using traditional kitchen
was more compared to today’s women. In the modern context women have
gone through tremendous changes and transition not only in their homes but
physically and psychologically .Gone are the days for women to start the fire
with logs of wood, grinding the ingredients and squatting on floor for all the
cooking to be complete. Today women are blessed and are using the latest
household gadgets such as microwave oven, refrigerators, electric chimneys,
air conditioner, washing machines, dishwashers, and vacuum cleaner to make
the act of household task an enjoyable endeavours. Inspite of the entry of the
modern labour saving devices the location of the utility space and other
provision such as work counter have not made the kitchen activities
enjoyable.

Chaudhary (2004) pointed out that kitchen centres height was not
according to the need of the homemakers. High work counters caused
shoulder pain and low counters caused back pain. Deeper the depth of the
counter more the bending is required to reach for the item. High reach
surfaces tend to exert pressure on the arms and shoulder to make adjustment
to reach the height. Such adjustment cause unnecessary fatigue (Nickel and
Dorsey,2002). The work environment leads to occupational disorders and the
mechanical and physical risk factors aggravate the problems. The problems

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 Introduction

include improper posture, applying excessive force, repetitive movements,

lifting and carrying loads, vibrations, low temperatures and unfavourable
lighting (Aghilinejad, 2006). Musculoskeletal disorder affects the parts of the
body involved in working. Upper body vertebrae and hands are the most
susceptible limbs to the risk factors of these disorders (Moyodi, 2004). Proper
space for kitchen storage and performance of routine activities in the kitchen,
and the correct positioning of equipments could save a lot of unnecessary
bending and other extra motions.

Today’s kitchen is a place for multi-use in family life and not just for
cooking related work area (Emmeletal, 2005). One of the key findings from a
recent worldwide Gallup survey on kitchen use commissioned by home
furnishing retailer IKEA, there was a strong connection between overall
satisfaction with the kitchen and harmony in relationships with the spouses
and children. Respondents in countries with significantly high kitchen
satisfaction expressed greater overall family happiness. According to the
survey, the kitchen truly is the heart of a home. Nearly one fourth of
worldwide respondents spent more time in the kitchen than any other place in
the home with activities expanding far beyond cooking (Furniture World
Magazine, 2005).

Since the employed homemakers are on the rise, the family tends to
meet only during the meal time, to catch up with each other. Hence, the
kitchen should be designed in such a way that in addition to being the place of
food preparation, it should fulfil the other requirements of the homemakers
who can cook and at the same time have a hold on the other activities taking
place during meal preparation. A well planned house is the requirement of
every family in the society (Housing and urban Development co-operation
HUDCO, 1997). In other words it should lend itself to be an effective and
efficient place for the entire family. Every homemaker’s motto is “space for
everything and everything in its place”. Kitchen is the major part of the work
area in every home. An Indian homemaker on an average spends about 5-6
hours a day in the kitchen which amounts to approximately one fourth of her
life span. However, the number of the family members in the household

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 Introduction

determine the workload of the homemaker (Lodha,2003). Age of the

homemakers reflect the relative experience in handling the household work.

The old taboo of taking complete charge of the kitchen by women was
still accepted and practiced by a number of Indian families. Average Indian
women spend 20 hours a week in kitchen. A research has shown that an
average woman spends about 3 ½hours everyday in the kitchen. In India
women work more than 14 hours a day on variety of tasks,
(Swaminathan,1989).Without doubt, women want a space that is user friendly,
hygienic and worth all the time she spends there. A research carried out by
Times of India, cites that Indian women spent a huge 298 minutes on routine
housework whereas Indian men spend a mere 19 minutes a day on
housework reports, Shobita (2014). A woman spends a major part of her
time, almost1/3 of waking life in the kitchen ,and therefore the layout of the
kitchen must be given considerable attention during construction says Selye
(1976).Of course the major reason for designing efficient kitchen is to keep
with the change in life style.

Over the past few years, open kitchen concept seems to have caught
up with Indian design. Although, the concept is very western in form, its
adaptation to Indian climate and cooking style is important. In metropolitan
cities, a rising trend of space shortage is being observed with per square inch
of area having a cost. Construction industry is thus looking at materials that
help in saving space. With removal of partition walls between kitchen and
adjoining space, the complete area starts looking spacious. To make a small
area look spacious it is of prime importance for people who live in small
apartments.

Ergonomics is concerned with design of systems in which people carry

out work. Ergonomics is the application of scientific information concerning
humans to the design of objects, systems and environment for human
use(International Ergonomics Association, 2010).The term ergonomic is used
to describe the science of "designing the environment to fit the person, not
forcing the person to fit the environment” (http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/
kitchen.ergonomics.htm). The science of ergonomics have laid foundation

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 Introduction

from the ancient context. Archaeological records have showed that the early
Egyptian dynasties made tools and equipment that illustrated ergonomic
principles. However, slowly it was realized that worker productivity would be
enhanced not merely by materials but by creating environment which
influenced human performance.

Kitchen ergonomics is relatively a recent discipline, which looks at the

way the kitchens should be designed, from the cooking to cleaning
,refrigeration and storing. Kitchens that are ergonomically designed, balance
our movements around the kitchen and reduce the load of stress on the body
while performing everyday kitchen activities, preventing multiple aches and
pains resulting from poorly designed kitchens. Postural habits need to be
considered as an important factor in planning the design since poor design
will lead to degenerative changes in the body through poor posture
(Ghose,2003).The kitchen with ergonomic design should be suitable to the
individual. The practical use of the new ergonomic kitchen should focus on
specific heights, depths, widths and clearances that is required. The right
kitchen should create working environment that takes note of the account of
the person using the kitchen by giving careful consideration to working heights
for preparation, cooking and cleaning (Prasad,2011).

Kitchen need to set the mood of the homemakers using the kitchens.
The reason behind this could be that, the ambience of the atmosphere would
make wonders for the kitchen. The trends followed to create a good aesthetic
appeal for the kitchen include lighting fixture ,colour on the walls , tiles,
counter tops and the cabinets etc. Godrej Interior offers concepts that blend
with home decor (www.ergonomickitchens.com).The lighting for the kitchen
area can also be psychologically enhanced with good colour schemes.
Kitchen should be properly ventilated, to remove heat, cooking odours, smoke
and grease. The ideal kitchen walls create textural interest and handsome
pattern are those that could be easily cleaned.

Interior decoration plays an important role that makes a home a

welcoming place. Today people are willing to spend money on their interiors.
Even though the construction features create a luxurious effect, wall decor,

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 Introduction

lighting, tile design, cabinet colours and wall paints enhance the kitchen outlook
(www.designmyvilla.com/designmyvilla-articles/interior-home-decoration). As
a general rule, every 50 square feet of room in the kitchen takes one ceiling
fixture equipped with 150 to 200 watts of incandescent or 60 to 80 watts of
fluorescent. Accent has the options of changing the illumination and aesthetic
appeal of the kitchen, which would be expensive but there are other
categories of general lighting or combination of both the lightings. The effect
of the light on the colours it illuminates makes a kitchen look trendy and
appealing. Colours can be applied with different shades on the walls, tiles,
counter tops, and cabinets (www.KSA-Ergonomic Kitchen Design.Pdf).

Dubash and Mandal (2007) explain home as a space for personal

expression and not dictated by social approval. There is a major shift from
the conservative, to socially acceptable set up. Home has a life of its own and it
is like an organic plant that is constantly growing and evolving. Blasco et al.
(2014) examined the kitchen environment as one of the scenarios in the home
where users could benefit from Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) applications.
The study examined a novel design, implementation and assessment of a
Smart Kitchen which provided Ambient Assisted Living services; a smart
environment increases elderly and differently abled people’s autonomy in their
kitchen-related activities through context and user awareness, appropriate
user interaction and artificial intelligence. It is based on a modular architecture
which integrates a wide variety of home technology (household appliances,
sensors, user interfaces, etc.) and is associated with communication
standards and media (power line, radio frequency, infrared and cabled).

Bonenberg (2013) examined the kitchen designed for simultaneous

use by people with mobility problems, including wheelchair bound persons as
well as able-bodied people. By introducing mobile gesture controlled modules
into kitchen furniture it would be possible to dynamically adjust furniture for
use in seating or standing positions. An important aspect of research problem
was the location elements which would optimize the simultaneous use of
kitchen by both the able-bodied and differently abled person. According to an
online survey report cited by www.sleekworld.com, India’s most celebrated

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 Introduction

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor has given green signal for choosing Sleek kitchen,
which has been designing contemporary cooking spaces for the Indian
modern family for the past 13 years. Sleek kitchens, manufactures more than
30,000 kitchens and provides components to over nine lakh households
annually. Originally designing kitchen was the responsibility of home
economics and later it became the concern of architects, builders,
manufactures and sellers of large equipment (Gross and Grandall,1981).
Hence, kitchen the chief work place at home has received the most attention
in research today.

India has strong cultural roots, which focuses on social ethics. But with
changing times, we find our men considering the difficulties faced by the
homemakers in the household area. They have changed their mindset
towards various aspects regarding women. The designing of kitchen with the
homemaker’s views and concepts has done a tremendous mark on the
energy, time expenditure patterns and comfort factors for women. Kitchen is
an asset to any house and a truly worthwhile investment, as it makes cooking
and related tasks a pleasure. A well planned, well equipped and good kitchen
design must cater to a family's lifestyle, eating habits and lend to
entertainment pattern. A kitchen which is comfortable to work in, easy to
maintain, beautiful to see should be time and energy saving, which is the
dream of every homemaker. A kitchen designed with ergonomic concepts can
offer comfortable and efficient work areas. There is scope for enhancing the
work environment of the homemaker by incorporating ergonomic concepts to
make kitchen more functional, efficient, and pleasant offering an instant
welcome (Mathen,2011).

The idea of domestic comfort is connected with both physical and

sensory well-being as well as emotional and psychological well-being. A
comfortable kitchen is one that is easy to manage and smart. The starting
point of kitchen design is the rational organisation of space and its furniture. It
should avoid the need for excessively tiring and unnatural movements,
making food preparation as easy as possible. Ergonomics analyses the
relationship between the human body, and the objects along with the space

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 Introduction

we live and work to optimise movements and avoid unnatural postures that
could harm our health. Kitchen is one of the areas that mostly benefits from
ergonomics. The work triangle in the kitchen makes the area truly ergonomic.
The length of the individual sides of the triangle can vary based on the size
and shape of the room and the distance between each zone being at least 90
cm. Excessive distances which tend to waste energy with continuous
movements can make working in kitchen uncomfortable and cramped as
mentioned in the article on ergonomic kitchen space on human scale
(www.ergonomickitchens.com).

The kitchen environment needs to be both comfortable and usable to

support independent living for older as well of able and differently abled
people. People with disabilities tend to have more difficult situations to cope
up in the kitchen, which can be compared with the same patterns for all able
bodied homemakers with peak periods of kitchen activity before every meal
preparation(Peace et al., 2007). Every differently abled and elderly person
need their kitchen to be as accessible as possible, to maximise their levels of
independence. The transitions in kitchen living (TIKL) study was a project
within the UK Research Council’s New Dynamics of ageing programme
(2006-2013). The aim of the project was to develop holistic approach to
understand person-environment fit.

Disabilities are not only problems for the person with the disability but,
in a real sense, are family disabilities. The family copes with the demands and
special needs of the person by providing daily care, rearranging schedules
and ensuring compliance with treatment. The stress is shared by the whole
family, especially the women in the household. Significant disruption of family
routine, leisure and interaction had to be expected, although families go
through the natural process of shock and grief when a child is born with a
disability. In Indian culture, disability is accepted as one's fate or destiny. The
belief in karma, or payment for past deeds, underlies inaccepting the spirit.
Because rehabilitation services are not easily available to the majority of the
population in India, very little help is sought for children with lifelong

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 Introduction

disabilities. Economic hardship, poor transport facilities and lack of education

makes it harder for the parents to access services for their child.The study
revealed the situation where people could not use both of their limbs stressing
on arthritis as the main cause.

According to the census of India (2012), the highest number of

differently abled has been reported from the state of Uttar Pradesh (3.6
million). Significant numbers of disabled have also been reported from the
state like Bihar (1.9 million), West Bengal (1.8million), Tamil Nadu and
Maharashtra (1.6 million each). Among the states, Arunachal Pradesh has the
highest proportion of disabled males (66.6 percent) and Tamil Nadu is the
only state, which has a higher number of differently abled females than males
(www.censusindia.gov.in).

Stuparu and Barsan (2012) examined the problem of designing objects

for people having some kind of disability representing a challenging subject
for designers. As Sims et al. (2012) stated a sustainable solution for kitchen
design could be enhanced by adding separate items like cupboards,
multipurpose items and units to form a modular adaptable kitchen. There are
wide range of suitable kitchen units in the market and a expert guide or
interior decorators can help the consumers to organise their kitchens, which
could prove informative to consumers, designers and manufacturers
(Maguire et al., 2012). Builders, Designers and Architects need to use extra
thought and flexibility in their design to make it practical for the user.

It is important to design a kitchen for the differently abled to meet all

their needs. Differently abled people face great difficulty when trying to use a
standard designed kitchen. A wheelchair user being confined to limited
movement has tremendous problems getting close to the units, in terms of
being able to reach deep inside and it may be almost impossible to operate
the hob, or view inside a sink bowl. There would be difficulty in cooking
too. Using a working surface set at the standard height could be very difficult
to reach for the differently abled person. In order to give these people the

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opportunity of managing themselves without help from other people, the

research was driven towards the kitchen activities. A set of kitchen objects
would be designed to help both people, abled and differently abled to prepare
food by themselves.

Hence, the present study was undertaken to analyse the ergonomic

perspective ofusing the conventional and modular kitchen utilised by the
abled and differently abled homemakers and design a kitchen with
ergonomic concept and universal design to cater to all. Ergonomics is the
designing equipment and devices that fit the human body and its cognitive.
Proper ergonomic design is necessary to prevent repetitive stress, which can
develop injuries and lead to long term disability. Ergonomics takes account of
the users capabilities and limitations in seeking to ensure tasks, equipment,
and environment. It is an attempt to make work better and enjoyable that
ergonomic kitchen design becomes useful (Prasad, 2011). In this context
the investigator’s aim and ambition was to select the differently abled and the
able homemakers for the experimental study which has not been done earlier.
The investigator wanted to analyse the impact of stress and general well
being of the homemakers using the kitchen in the Indian scenario.

The objectives of the present study are as follows

1. To analyse the existing kitchen features in the conventional and the

modular kitchen of the selected homemakers.

2. To assess the work efficiency and fatigue encountered by the selected

homemakers using the conventional and modular kitchens.

3. To evaluate the ergonomic suitability in the kitchens of the selected

households.

4. To design a kitchen suitable for the abled and differently abled

persons.

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Hypothesis Formulated

H1 - The kitchen design has association with the activities performed and the
stress experienced.

H2 - There is relationship between the ergonomic awareness level and design

of kitchen used by the homemakers

H3 - Ergonomically designed kitchen have significant association with the

disabled homemakers.

Today, the urban Indian kitchens are modern, stocked with latest
appliance and nuclear families with double income becoming the norm. To
save time and boot efficiency, the Indian kitchens are becoming organized
and modern in outlook. The use of ergonomic kitchen design is the need of
the hour which would create an awareness on the benefits of time and energy
expenditure. The homemakers using ergonomically designed modular kitchen
with built in facilities within their kitchen premises make the art of kitchen
activity an enjoyable endeavour. It is hoped that this study will throw light on
the ergonomic perspective of kitchen designs and arouse the need for
ergonomic awareness among the homemakers and make the kitchen activity
a joy of work.

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