What is a kitchen work triangle?
You might have heard about the kitchen work triangle when the designer was planning your kitchen. You might have seen stars too when he explained the terms to you in designer lingo. If you still don’t know what it is then let us try to understand what it means and why it plays such an important role in kitchen designs.A kitchen work triangle is an imaginary line connecting the three main places of your kitchen namely clean up, cooking area and storage. That means in the kitchen it is the sink, cook top and the refrigerator. When the distance between them is less then the kitchen runs efficiently. This is because when the number of steps between these areas is reduced there is efficient food preparation in the kitchen. For an efficient work triangle the steps between these three should neither be too less nor more. If the distance is more you waste a lot of time while preparing a meal and if the areas are nearby the kitchen becomes cramped.
So for best ergonomic work triangle- The perimeter of the triangle should be between 12-26 feet. In other words the total length should not exceed 26 feet.
- The distance between each zone should not be less than 4 feet and not be greater than 9 feet. This characterizes the distance between each leg of the triangle.
- There should not be any intermediate zones between the legs of the triangle. i.e. cabinets, islands should not intersect the triangle.
- There should not be any human traffic in between the triangle. By minimizing traffic you create an efficient work triangle.
- Ideally for unhindered traffic flow there should be a 42” walk space.
Along with work triangle guidelines there are also specific pointers for placement of counter, food preparation surface etc. Take a look.
- Counter space on either side of stove should be minimum of 15 inches.
- The cooking zone should be ideally located between fridge and sink. And for best food preparation the food preparation surface should be 7-8 inches below elbow height.
The work triangle guidelines can be incorporated in many of kitchen layouts. Take a look at how it gets incorporated in few popular lay outs.
- Galley layout: Galley shape is often used for kitchens which have space constraint. Generally in this type of kitchen cook top is placed on one side of galley and the fridge and sink are on the opposite side. In gallery shaped layouts the sink, cooking area and the fridge are laid out in a triangle at the opposite ends. But in this design the counter space is limited and space for traffic flow is minimized.
- L-shaped: This design is ideal for small as well as large kitchens. The L shaped layout has 2 legs with one being shorter than the other. In this type of layout the fridge is at one end and stove at the other end with sink in the middle. So there is plenty of space for traffic in L-shaped kitchens. There is no interference for work triangle and there is plenty of counter space in this layout. If the kitchen is spacious with multiple working zones then double L shaped designs are used. Here two separate L shapes catering to two working areas are maintained.
- U-shaped: This layout has three legs with sink occupying the middle wall. The fridge and the cooking area are on the opposite side walls. Hence this creates an efficient work triangle. You can even go for Kitchen Island if the kitchen is spacious enough. The counter space is plenty in these types of kitchens. Make sure to use the corners of U shaped kitchens wisely. Buy appropriate storage items like appliance garage for your kitchen.
- G-shaped: here there are four walls which provide plenty of space for multiple working zones and cooks. The fourth wall can be used for island; storage etc. there can be 2 sinks, two stoves etc in this type of kitchen. So there can be two working triangles in the kitchen. There is plenty of counter space in the kitchen as well.
But for all its detailed guidelines it is no longer a feasible option today in many designs. Why? Let us check why it is mostly obsolete today.
The concept first originated in 1940 and was developed by the University Of Illinois School Of Architecture. Those days there were smaller kitchens with fewer kitchen appliances. But today it is no longer the case. This is because- There are many more gadgets like microwaves, coffeemakers, and waffle makers in today’s kitchen.
- There is more than one cook in the kitchen and so there can be multiple cooking zones in the kitchen.
- The size of the kitchens has also increased. And there are multiple sinks, baking areas and food preparation areas.
So to sum it up use the work triangle when it is feasible to do so. Otherwise just divide the kitchen in to regular zones and plan for an efficient kitchen.