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This thesis studies the design of modern domestic urban kitchens in Uganda. The research took place in Kampala, which is the capital city of Uganda. The cultural make up of Kampala residents is diverse; people come from all over the country of Uganda, as well as beyond. The fieldwork involved investigating daily practices taking place in the domestic urban kitchens of the middle income group. This has been done in order to find out the problems found in using the kitchens so that better designs may be suggested. The thesis addresses mostly, professionals such as architects, who are involved with planning and designing housing, specifically kitchens within them. This work can as well be useful to another country with a similar context to Uganda. It is worth mentioning that kitchen studies started to take place in developed countries about one hundred years ago, yet, they have never been initiated in Uganda, until this moment. The thesis indicates that a kitchen is an important part in a home, which is a busy area, thus demanding a lot of attention in order to be able to get the needed design requirements. While the findings of the thesis are based on the contemporary urban life in Uganda, it is not known what the future will hold; so suggestions are made to benefit contemporary needs. Practices in the urban kitchen have been investigated within the conceptual framework of tradition, modernity, culture and identity in connection with the kitchen designs in place. The research has been motivated by contradictions appearing to take place between modern kitchen designs and the actual practices taking place in them. Generally, the evolution of the kitchen design in some of the developed nations followed the trend parallel to developments in lifestyles, industrialization or women’s emancipation. Kitchen studies made in developing nations have investigated the particular contexts within those nations. So this thesis fills the knowledge gap which exists, as such studies are nonexistent within the Ugandan context. The study is qualitative by engaging the case study methodology. Here, the case is the interaction between the household, the kitchen design, the activities in the kitchen and the house type in place. Interviews have been conducted with household members in the studied cases, as well as with key informants. The main areas of study have been the way food is prepared, cooked and stored in an urban kitchen, and how these activities take place in a mixed situation of tradition and modernity. Seven cases in total have been investigated. The results indicate disharmony between the designs in place and the activities that take place in them. People have to negotiate and reinterpret spaces in their kitchens and around them in order to meet their needs. Some of the most important outcomes from this research is not to let modernity be disruptive but rather to allow the change from tradition be gradual. The thesis endeavors to blend the two phenomena of tradition and modernity so as to create a balance in design and end with better functioning kitchens. One example of such is shown for a one family house on a plot. / <p>QC 20140121</p>

The number of older persons is increasing, both in actual number and as a percentage of the population. As an individual ages his or her body changes and the ability to deal with the demands of an environment usually decreases. A well designed, supportive environment may help older persons to utilize their homes more fully, more safely, and allow them to live independently in their homes longer. Use of kitchens and bathrooms may present the greatest challenge and the greatest safety hazard and in order to remain independent, an older person must be able to use these rooms fully and safely. The purpose of this study was to determine what supportive feature are being included in the kitchens and bathrooms of homes being built for persons living in age-restricted retirement communities. A list of research and design recommendations based on empirical research was compiled and ordered into categories of supportive features for general, kitchen, and bathroom design for seniors. Design recommendations were provided for most elements in kitchens and bathrooms designed for senior citizens and point values were assigned to individual supportive features on the basis of safety and ease of use. Based on this evidence, two data collection tools were created to assess kitchens and bathroom of homes designed for senior living. Hypotheses were developed relating characteristics of the locations of the retirement communities, characteristics of the retirement communities, and characteristics of the individual homes to the percentage of possible points earned in kitchens and bathrooms of homes studied. Age-restricted retirement communities were identified and contacted by telephone to determine if they met the criteria for inclusion in the study and permission to study the retirement communities was obtained from community representatives. Sixty homes in 23 communities from four states were surveyed using the data collection tools and photographed for this study. Data were entered into a statistical computer program and a scoring system for evaluating and comparing kitchens, bathrooms of different types, and total homes was developed. Kitchens in the retirement community homes studied had 46% - 76% of the possible number of recommended supportive kitchen features. Bathrooms had 48% - 57%, bathtubs had 58%, and separate showers had 48% - 52% of the possible number of recommended supportive bathroom features. Kitchens in larger, more expensive retirement homes had higher Kitchen Percentage Scores and bathrooms in communities that were developed by not-for-profit communities had higher Bathroom Percentage Scores. The kitchen and bathroom assessment tools created for this study are the result of compiling 40 years of research recommendations. These tools provide the means to compare kitchens and bathrooms of different homes, regardless of the configuration or combination of appliances and fixtures within the rooms. Scores of different rooms or houses can be compared using either the total score or the percentage score for number of supportive features. Comparisons can be made without consideration for the style, size, or degree of opulence in the homes. The assessment tools can be refined for use by members of different professions. / Ph. D.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of universal design kitchen features by people using wheelchairs. The study examined the features of the GE Real Life Design Kitchen in the Center for Real Life Design at Virginia Tech and determined which universal design features were beneficial to users in wheelchairs. The specific objectives were: 1. to evaluate the universal design features of the GE Real Life Design Kitchen by people in wheelchairs, and 2. to examine how the GE Real Life Design Kitchen is used by people in wheelchairs as they prepare a meal in the space. Nine participants, with various disabilities, who use a wheelchair on a daily basis were selected for the study. The sample consisted of 5 male and 4 female participants with ages ranging from 28-58 years old. Each participant had varying levels of grip, strength, and memory as a result of their disability. Data for this study were collected through a variety of observation and interviewing methods. The study was separated into four different sections/activities; the pre-cooking interview, the universal design evaluation, the cooking activity, and the post-cooking interview. Each participant was asked to test specific universal design features located in the GE Real Life Design Kitchen and was given a set menu and asked to prepare a meal. The results of this study determined that people who use a wheelchair while cooking are very efficient and do not require much counter space in order to prepare a meal. Appliances with easy to read and use controls are preferred and should be located within good visual range of a person in a wheelchair to be effective. In addition, it was determined that a pull-out cutting board and some type of roll-out tray feature in a base cabinet is useful to a person in a wheelchair. The results concurred with existing recommendations concerning clear floor and open knee spaces at the sink and cooktop areas, and also discovered that clear floor and open knee space is useful under a countertop microwave because it allows the wheelchair user to get their body closer to the task. Results from this study cannot be generalized to a national population of wheelchair users because of the limitations of the sample. Results, however, are significant in terms of providing consumers, cabinet and appliance manufacturers, policy makers, and designers with valuable insight and information concerning the inclusion of universal design features in kitchens and environments that accommodate the needs of all people, including the person in a wheelchair. In addition, the results of this study imply that not all universal design features recommended in kitchen design are beneficial to people in wheelchairs. Further investigation of some of the universal design features tested is needed. / Ph. D.

Arbetet syftar till att undersöka behovet av att se över köksbänkars- och överskåps standardmått. De standardmått som finns idag är baserade på forskning som genomfördes på endast kvinnor som köksbrukare år 1948 av Hemmets forskningsinstitut. För att få svar på frågeställningen har vetenskapliga artiklar och tidigare forskning undersökts samt intervjuer med sakkunniga inom ämnesområdet har utförts. I uppsatsen redovisas även utförda experiment med köksbrukare. Resultatet av dessa undersökningar visade på behovet av att måtten behöver ses över vad gäller köksbänkens höjd samt hur förhållande till överskåpet påverkas av en eventuell förändring. Slutsatsen baseras på att det finns en markant skillnad i medellängden mellan är 1948 och 2010 enligt den senaste statistiken från Statistiska Centralbyrån. Dessutom har köksanvändaren gått från att ha varit endast kvinnor till att det idag är en relativ jämn fördelning mellan kvinnor och män. Standardmåtten i köket är baserade på en medellängd på 164 centimeter och idag är medellängden 172,6 centimeter. Slutsatsen i uppsatsen är att en ny utredning bör genomföras med utgångspunkt i den utredning som genomfördes år 1948. Dessutom bör olika professioner så som kökstillverkare, myndigheter, arkitekter och ergonomer medverka i en ny utredning för att kunna uppnå optimala arbetsförutsättningar i köket. / The thesis aims to investigate the need to review the standard measurements of kitchen countertops and cupboards. The standard dimensions today are based on research conducted on only women as kitchen users in 1948 by Hemmets forskningsinstitut. In order to answer the question, scientific articles and previous research were investigated in the thesis and interviews with experts in the subject area were conducted. Experiments with kitchen users are also presented in the thesis. The results of this showed that the measurements need to be reviewed with regards to the height of the kitchen counter and how the relation with the cupboard is affected by any changes. The conclusion is based on that there is a pronounced difference in the average length between 1948 and 2010 according to the latest figures from Statistics Sweden. Furthermore, the kitchen user has gone from being only women to the fact that today there is a relatively even distribution between women and men. The standard dimensions in the kitchen are based on an average height of 164 centimeters and today the average length of Swedish population is 172.6 centimeters. The conclusion of the investigation is that a new study should be realized based on the study that was conducted in 1948. However, various professionals such as kitchen manufacturers, authorities, architects and ergonomists should participate in a new study in order to achieve optimal working conditions in the kitchen.