21 July 2005
Monash University's Department of Design at the Caulfield campus has recently hosted a pioneering multi-university, multi-national student design project - "Kitchens of the World".
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| A communal kitchen design concept. |
The six-week project was conducted at the Monash University Prato Centre in Italy. The collaboration involved 27 industrial design students - 10 third-year students from Monash, seven from Northumbria University in Newcastle, England, and 10 from Lulea University of Technology in Sweden.
Mr Selby Coxon, industrial design course coordinator at Monash's Faculty of Art and Design, devised the project, which took 12 months to bring to fruition.
"Kitchens of the World explored the different cultural perspectives and expectations of kitchen products, appliances and environment," Mr Coxon said.
"We chose the Prato Centre as the host venue because of its proximity and links to Europe, and for that extra culinary dimension."
Participants were asked to respond to one of five design briefs relating to kitchens, food and culture:
- a kitchen that encourages children to learn cooking safely
- a kitchen that tackles the problem of obesity
- a kitchen for couples in an apartment
- a kitchen for communal use in apartment blocks
- a kitchen for those who live alone.
The initial stage of the project saw the students and six lecturers - Mr Coxon, as well as two lecturers from Northumbria and three from Lulea - get together for two weeks in April at Lulea University to brainstorm ideas and develop concept designs.
This was followed by a four-week stint at the Monash University Prato Centre, where the students developed and refined concepts using detailed sketches and design software. Their solutions were presented as two-dimensional pictures.
"The students were subjected to a rich learning experience not least because they had to work together, which came with all its tensions and excitements," Mr Coxon said.
"Different ways of working made for some interesting exchanges of opinion, but all agreed that it was an extraordinary learning experience which they will cherish for a lifetime."
For further information, visit the project website at www.worlddesign.se.
For information and images, contact Ms Lauren Bialkower, Faculty of Art and Design on +61 3 9903 1832 or mobile 0418 313 937, or Ms Karen Stichtenoth, Media Communications on +61 3 9905 1253.
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