Comparing Circular Kitchens

Comparing Circular Kitchens: A Study of the Dutch Housing Sector

Jansen, B. (TU Delft Real Estate Management; Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS))
Duijghuisen, J.A.K. (TU Delft Support Management in the Built Environment)
van Bortel, G.A. (TU Delft Real Estate Management)
Gruis, V.H. (TU Delft Real Estate Management)

2023

The built environment can become more sustainable by gradually replacing building components with circular ones. Kitchens are a logical component to be made circular, given their relatively short lifespan, product-based nature, and affordable prototypes. Since various designs for circular kitchens can be developed, understanding the feasibility of these designs is crucial for their successful implementation. This knowledge, however, remains limited. Therefore, this article aimed to determine which types of circular kitchens are feasible. Circular kitchens available or announced in the Dutch housing sector within the past five years were compared using an adapted version of the CBC generator, a comprehensive design framework for circular building components. The comparison included the Circular Kitchen (CIK), developed as part of an international research project. Data were sourced from manufacturers’ websites and online publications supplemented by interviews with two outliers to verify the results. The analysis encompassed seven circular kitchens, with two developed by established manufacturers and five by start-ups. The manufacturers mostly communicated about their kitchen’s physical design. The established manufacturers’ circular kitchens were found to be more similar to their non-circular kitchens, while start-ups applied more radical innovations. Furthermore, the kitchens that had a frame structure using technical materials or a panel-based structure using biological materials were more likely to be feasible. These findings can facilitate future circular kitchen development by improving these kitchens’ feasibility, thus aiding the transition to a more circular built environment. Furthermore, this research contributes scientifically by adapting a comprehensive design framework (the CBC generator) to compare circular designs.

circular economy
circular design
building components
kitchen
circular kitchen
kitchen design
design comparison

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:25716e03-e968-47fe-b1fe-f79306854fa2

https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13071698

2075-5309

Buildings, 13 (7)

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2023 B. Jansen, J.A.K. Duijghuisen, G.A. van Bortel, V.H. Gruis