A team in the Netherlands are working towards kitchens that last a lifetime!
Did you know that on average we buy a new kitchen after 20 years? Usually not because the old one no longer functions, but because it is outdated and no longer fits in our interior. That is a shame and does not fit within a circular economy in which we reuse as much as possible. That is why TU Delft, in close collaboration with market parties, is investigating a way to make kitchens circular: The Circular Kitchen.
A bottom up Circular economy by design!
Buildings consist of many components such as installations, kitchens, bathrooms, etc. These can be replaced by circular components during maintenance and renovation, leading to a bottom-up implementation of a circular economy in the built environment.
In project CIK, the TU Delft, Chalmers, AMS Institute, industry partners and clients develop one such circular component: The Circular Kitchen. In four years the CIK will be developed to a prototype and market-ready product which will be implemented in demonstration exemplars as part of deep retrofit projects in the Netherlands and Sweden. In the CIK the design, business and industrial model are developed in parallel to each other.
Replaceable modules
Our idea is to build kitchens from modules whose parts you can easily replace. For example, after 20 years you only have to replace a new style package instead of a completely new kitchen. You only replace the functional components after 40 years. The frame on which everything is installed will last up to 80 years.
Collect and reuse
The old modules are collected and reused or recycled. To this end, we have developed a circular supply chain in which kitchen suppliers, dealers, landlords and consumers work together. In this way we save raw materials, reduce waste flows and halve the CO2 emissions per kitchen.
Meet the team
TU Delft, Chalmers, AMS Institute, Bribus keukens, ATAG, Dirkzwager Groep, Eigen Haard, Waterweg Wonen, Woonbedrijf, Ymere, Vedum, ASKO, HSB