Kitchen & Bath Business October 2021 - 14

SUS T AINABLE DE SIGN
Zero-Waste Living
A lean, green kitchen designed
for an environmental lifestyle
L
IVING A SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE means wasting less, recycling more and
being part of a global solution that changes the climate in positive ways.
Designing kitchens that are actually built with recycled materials to
create a sustainable environment takes things a step further. Architect
Ivana Steiner from Vienna, Austria, is doing just that. Her goal was
to design and build a kitchen that does not produce any waste, and
she used sustainable materials like recycled stainless steel and recycled glass.
Steiner claims that every ton of steel and iron scrap used avoids the mining
of 1.5 tons of iron ore.
I touched base with Steiner recently to ask her questions about her latest
prototype, the Zero-Waste Kitchen. I was surprised to learn that some of her
research led her to study the Schütte-Lihotzkt's Frankfurt Kitchen designed
and built in 1926. Housewives were starting to work outside of the home at
that time, and everything in the home had to work very effi ciently - especially
the kitchen. Th e Frankfurt Kitchen was a masterpiece ergonomically, and
every move happened within a minimal distance. Workfl ow and storage were
optimized to create a smooth operating process for each kitchen task. Th e
Frankfurt Kitchen is known as a " clean machine " to minimize the spread of
tuberculosis and machine-like for effi ciency. Th e kitchen was also very small
and closed off from the rest of the house, again for health reasons.
Steiner also researched " unpacked stores " in Vienna and interviewed
salespeople and customers to learn about their habits. Unpacked stores, of
which there are six major ones in the city, off er all sorts of grocery-related
items in bulk with literally no packaging. Steiner additionally worked with
the Zero Waste Austria community to develop kitchen prototypes and relied
on a focus group consisting of three women who are immersed in living strict
zero-waste lifestyles.
A COMPACT AND EFFICIENT WORKSPACE
Steiner's concept is basically an island that fi ts into the middle of a kitchen and
really serves as the kitchen. It is just over 13 feet long, 24 inches wide and 33 3
⁄4
inches high. Th ere are pullouts for expanding the worktop space and a foldout
" clothes horse " for drying reusable kitchen towels. Th e design functions as
a large table around which family and friends can gather. Th e structure is an
upgraded form of stainless steel that has compartments for glass containers,
baskets, a composting box and a storage space for multipurpose dairy products
in glass containers. Linen bags and pouches and a vertical herb garden round
out all the spaces in the design.
Kitchen appliances chosen for the prototype are more typical of European
models, which are smaller than American appliances. Included are an oven, a
cook surface, a small refrigerator and a double-bowl sink but no dishwasher.
Kitchen organization includes glass jars for sugar, spices, oils, beans, baking
powder and dairy items. Baskets store fruits and vegetables, and linen bags are
also used. Th e design includes an herb-growing area, and there's a stainlesssteel
composting box under the sink appropriately named " the worm box, "
because worms convert the waste to humus - the organic part of soil derived
from plant material decomposing. Th e amount of humus produced is enough
for the herb boxes and/or house plants.
14
SCOTT KOEHLER is
a 27-year veteran of
the kitchen and bath
industry and owner of
Dream Kitchen Builders,
a design-build fi rm
doing business in North
Carolina.
ZERO-WASTE KITCHEN DEVOTEES
ABOVE Architect Ivana
Steiner's concept is an island
that essentially serves as the
kitchen with compartments
for containers, pullouts, a
composting box and storage.
Photos by Ivana Steiner
According to the salespeople in the unpacked
stores in Vienna, 30% of the customers are zerowaste
users and that number is growing. Th e zerowaste
user is typically female and 25 to 35 years old,
and another target group is mothers in their 40s. I
asked Steiner if zero-waste kitchens were typically
for people in high-density urban areas that have
access to unpacked stores. She agreed that large
metro areas are optimal, but she also mentioned
that Graz, Austria - a much smaller city than
Vienna - now has unpacked shops. She also said
farmers eat more local or regional food or food from
neighbors, which can also be considered unpacked.
YOUNGSTERS TAKING THE LEAD
Steiner mentioned the Fridays for Future movement,
an international, intersectional movement of
students striking for climate, and she believes this is
a direct reaction by young people to climate change.
She says they are directing their focus toward nature
and away from the material world. Th ey want
to concentrate on the climate change and how
each person is responsible. She feels the zero-waste
movement doesn't look for politicians or businesses
to tell people how and when to implement
environmental measures and goals but rather that
every person can actively contribute to protecting
the climate by living a resource-saving lifestyle. 
/ OCTOBER 2021 / KBBONLINE.COM / Th e offi cial publication of NKBA (NKBA.org) and KBIS (KBIS.com)

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Kitchen & Bath Business October 2021

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