"The kitchen, which serves as the hub of your house, should be attractively designed, yet, eco-friendly. With a sustainable kitchen design, you may have a gorgeous, environmentally responsible kitchen that you can use for many years." - JOEY CASTANEDA, Architect
OBJECTIVE
My extensive experience in designing food processing plants and commercial kitchens is what drives me to advocate on sustainable kitchens by writing articles like this. Our projects included mechanical components that addresses environmental concerns involving highly technical system for clean smoke exhaustion as well as tallow fat waste disposal system. I would admit at that time, I was not really familiar with the term "sustainability," but eventually, I just realized that our projects were already contributing to it, while the subject matter in general emerges into a new field of architectural interest.
Nowadays, it would be very timely to tackle “green architecture” with interesting topics concerning sustainable kitchens. This environmental age is an opportunity to raise awareness and create consciousness around the issues mostly impacting our planet. This is one of my advocacies that encourage me to create this blog website hoping it would help readers understand the importance of architecture in relation to sustainable living as a whole.
WHAT MAKES A KITCHEN SUSTAINABLE?
When a kitchen employs recyclable or repurposed materials and minimizes waste, it is sustainable. Additionally, sustainable construction methods must be used such as lighting, water-saving features, energy-efficient equipment, and suitable heating and cooling techniques.
You must think about your building materials and appliances if you want to create a kitchen that is really eco-friendly. Moreover, how you employ them, your kitchen can help you save money on utilities and lessen your negative impact on the environment.
BUILDING MATERIALS
Consider employing an increasing number of sustainable building materials while creating an eco-friendly kitchen. Long-term energy savings and carbon footprint reduction are made possible by using sustainable materials. They frequently last longer than conventional ones and require less upkeep.
Modern cabinets are frequently composed of MDF or particle board. Solid wood kitchens are often the most expensive alternatives on the market, although being environmentally beneficial if sustainably sourced. So, what are some inexpensive options for a sustainable kitchen?
1. BAMBOO
Bamboo is one of the most well-liked sustainable building materials available today. It is a sturdy, long-lasting, and quickly-growing choice for green building projects. However, unless you use bamboo as the main theme for a new home, bamboo fits mostly in rural areas and off-grid locations.
2. RECYCLED WOOD
Modern countertops and cabinets are frequently composed of particle board. Even plywood nowadays, unless it clearly states solid wood when purchased, is created from scraps of various types of wood. When you opt to install reclaimed wood cabinets, you are receiving high-quality, long-lasting materials that may endure for decades or more since they are created from solid pieces of wood.
Reclaimed wood cabinets are an excellent choice if you are doing new kitchen construction or renovation and an affordable alternative to cutting down virgin lumber and gives all the same advantages as well as being more readily available and less expensive than hardwood cabinets. Knowing that no trees were harmed in making your cabinets, it gives you the confidence that your home is special and the cabinets will look gorgeous and long-lasting. Contemporary kitchen designers usually combine wood and colored cabinets for urban homes and condominiums. On the other hand, rural kitchen designers employ full wooden cabinets and reclaimed woods are usually the best choice.
3. ECO-PAINTS
In addition to being beneficial for the environment, using eco-friendly paint in your kitchen is also healthy for your household.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which are harmful to the environment and human health when breathed, may be found in most paints. Oil-based paints release significantly more VOCs than water-based paints do; hence the former is always preferred. To reduce the dependency on oil-based paints for a lasting finish, several paint manufacturers develop hard water-based paints for wood that may be used for kitchen cabinets.
True eco paints are also made in an environmentally responsible manner, use recyclable packaging, and contain little to no plastic.
4. ECO-FRIENDLY COUNTERTOP MATERIALS
Consider the location and method of manufacture, as well as the countertop's aesthetic, functionality, upkeep requirements, and price, when choosing an eco-friendly option. Quartz and recycled glass countertops have grown in popularity recently, particularly due to their durability, modern appearance, and sleek finish. Other eco-friendly materials for countertops are bamboo, paper composite, reclaimed wood, plastic, stainless steel, etc. However, the user and designer’s decision always depends on the availability, compatibility and cost of such materials.
5. RESIN OVER CONCRETE FLOORING
Modern, open-plan kitchens have a strong demand for polished concrete flooring, but this material has questionable environmental credentials because it consumes a lot of energy during manufacture. Poured resin, which currently has some amazing sustainable features but may cost a little more than concrete, can replicate the appearance.
ENERGY EFFICIENT KITCHEN EQUIPMENT AND APPLIANCES
This factor is also being tackled in our previous article, KITCHEN INTERIOR DESIGN TRENDS FOR 2024. However, the smart equipment you choose for your kitchen increase its energy efficiency while also making it simpler to operate.
INDUCTION TYPE COOKING EQUIPMENT
In choosing the type of cooking equipment to use, there are quite a number of factors that should be taken into consideration. Perhaps one of them is the option to change your gas range for an induction one if you want for lesser energy. But, is that really the exact solution to save? Or an induction hob prevents heat loss during cooking by only heating the cookware and not the stove surface. We may think that induction hobs often consume less energy than electric and gas hobs. Nevertheless, the cost of energy nowadays fluctuates from time to time, which also makes the electric power price follow the oil market trend. In this case, I could also see the water consumption in cleaning surfaces also plays around with the energy trend. Thus, it would be recommendable to consider a few factors in deciding the type of cooking equipment to use:
1. Location of the dwelling (urban or rural);
2. Main kitchen or dirty kitchen;
3. Single detach home or condominium; and
4. The cost of equipment.
INVERTER TYPE FOOD STORAGE
Optimized storage temperature refrigerators and freezers not only consume less energy in your house but also reduce food waste. Each appliance will have an energy rating label, ranging from A to D, to make it easier for you to calculate its energy requirements and operating costs. However, most appliance manufacturers nowadays are doing the calculations themselves as part of their marketing strategy to convince buyers how they can save energy at a given time frame if they buy the product.
LOW-FLOW DISHWASHERS
You ought to consider water conservation in your kitchen. Priority should be given to faucets and appliances that use less water, such as low-flow dishwashers and washing machines.
ECO-FRIENDLY LIGHTING FIXTURES
Reducing energy consumption is one of the key objectives of sustainable kitchen design. Utilizing as much natural light as you can is one method to do this. Utilizing natural light may really save your energy costs and improve the ambiance of your kitchen.
The following suggestions will help you make the most of the natural light in your kitchen:
1. Install skylights: Skylights are an excellent method to illuminate your kitchen with natural light. They contribute to the room's ventilation while letting in daylight during the day;
2. Use light-colored paint to make the room appear brighter since it reflects light;
3. Use mirrors to make the room appear brighter and larger. Mirrors reflect light.
At night, use LED lighting. Did you know that compared to conventional incandescent bulbs, LED lighting is 75–80% more efficient? The eco-friendly choice for your kitchen is to use LED lighting wherever feasible because it is 25 times more durable and results in less waste and LED lights may enable you to reduce your energy costs.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The idea of sustainable kitchen design is gaining popularity. If you don't know where to begin since there are so many possibilities, it might be challenging. We really hope that our article may assist you in achieving environmentally and economically sustainable results.
Before choosing a kitchen manufacturer, we would suggest to consider looking for their name with "sustainability" in a search engine if sustainability is essential to you. Businesses that go above and above to ensure their operations are sustainable will be sure to shout from the rooftops exactly what steps they take to lessen their impact on the environment.
Kitchen firms may advance their green credentials in a number of ways, including carbon neutral production, investment in reforestation programs, recyclable packaging, and renewable energy systems.
JOEY CASTANEDA
Architect
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