Traditional Kitchen Design for Sustainable Low-Income Dwellings in Developing Countries

The place of kitchens in contemporary designs is quite different from the traditional designs in terms of location, aesthetics and furnishing. Thus, this paper discussed development in kitchen designs over the past centuries and place emphasis on sustainable low-income kitchen design. The study examined the location of kitchens in contemporary dwellings in comparison with traditional dwellings in order to create a hybrid kitchen design that is sustainable, attainable and acceptable to contemporary and traditional individuals. Research methodology involved descriptive survey; with primary data obtained using structured questionnaire, systematic observation and interview with occupants of buildings in Awi community, Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria which is the study area. These were complemented with photographs of kitchens in the existing buildings within the area of study. 50 buildings purposely selected were studied to determine the designs, and placement/location of kitchens in these buildings in relation to the contemporary buildings respectively. Finally, the data collected were analyzed using simple statistical tool to obtain percentages, rankings and relative significance index (RSI) respectively to determine the reasons for the design and location of the kitchen. The result shows that of the five variables examined, cultural influence was the most significant reason for the location of kitchens outside the housing unit. The recommendation is that low-income dwelling should have kitchen space within in addition to the attached or detached kitchens in their dwellings.