elope The Kitchen Project

elope's project "The Kitchen" was organized as a laboratory for new ideas and a platform for the development of adequate solutions for a sustainable living in Xian Qiao village on Chongming Island. The aim of the project was that the kitchen as one of the most important rooms in a Chinese house shall - again - become a symbol of enjoyment, health, happiness, and prosperity for today’s and for future generations. The task was to find new perspectives for the village people and to propose a series of interventions as well as discuss the feasibility of their implementation with the Chinese users. It was important to foster the dialogue between the local population and the students and to search for solutions that respect the established Chinese traditions by amalgamation of local customs with elements stemming from the backgrounds of the students. It was a challenge to overcome ones own idiosyncrasies and to create solutions that are compatible with the requirements from all the professional perspectives (architecture, interior design, industrial design, sociology, mechanical engineering and landscape planning) involved.

Looking back, one can definitely say that "The Kitchen" project brought about an increased respect for cultural differences, an awareness of diverse methodological approaches in the five countries involved and - hopefully - made a contribution for friendship and peace among the participating students and faculty members.

Prof. Christoph Holliger, Switzerland
Physicist
February 14th, 2010