EKU

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Emergency Kitchen UnitIHA housewares Competition

Furnishings for a house; especially: small articles of household equipment (as cooking utensils)

Merriam-Webster

Housewares are utilitarian, each tool is designed to perform its task quickly and efficiently. Because this demand is high, the form almost always follows its function. Within the house, tools’ functions are very clear. But what happens when the house is swept away by a hurricane or burnt to the ground? The emergency kitchen explores this question and poses solutions for situations where kitchens do not exist.

Housewares “But what happens when the house is swept away or burnt to the ground?”

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Crises can occur. Anywhere. Any time. The Emergency Kitchen Unit (EKU) is designed for situations in which individuals are left without a way of preparing meals. The EKU contains all of the equipment necessary to cook for one to four people. The rugged streamlined design is effective as a self-contained appliance that can be shipped by the thousands to disaster areas around the world. At the same time, it is also ideal for small-scale living such as in unfinished lofts or studio, or for car or tent camping.

Disaster

In an oversaturated market full of recycled ideas, how can a new product be born? What avenues have not been explored? Through the technique of mind mapping around kitchen wares, the emergency kitchen concept evolved. The diagramming technique brought forth the idea of providing the necessities of the kitchen to areas where they do not exist or have been destroyed.

Innovation “Providing the necessities of the kitchen to areas where they do not exist or have been destroyed.”

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VersatilityThe final design is small simple and efficient. Three 4” layers contain all of the components. The bottom level stores the propane tanks. The middle layer swings out providing a workspace and storage for the pot, pan and bowls. The top level houses the burner as well as two compartments - one for utensils and one for the water purifier. Included in the silverware is a detachable handle for the pot and pan which allows them to be stored more compactly. Contained within the 12” cube are supplies for four people for two weeks:

1 8” burner4 16 oz. Propane tank1 high flow water purifier4 5” bowls 4 silverware sets (knife, fork, spoon)1 kitchen knife1 spatula1 8” x 3” (deep) pot1 10” pan1 pot/pan handle1 preparation surface1 steel 1/2” dowel

A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.

A

B.

C

D

E.

H.

I

J.

L.

K.

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Ideation

It was difficult to find exactly how the emergency kitchen would fit into our world. When exactly does an emergency kitchen become necessary? This was a tough question to answer. After more exploration, it became apparent that the difficulty lay in the fact that nothing like it exists today.

The Emergency Kitchen Unit became a utilitarian device challenging the way we think about housewares. It could be thrown out of planes and stacked on pallets for shipping. The Emergency Kitchen Unit evolved into a transforming modular device that could be readily available and easily deployed to replace damaged or destroyed kitchens and cookware.

Evolution

Crises can occur. Anywhere. Any time. The Emergency Kitchen Unit (EKU) is designed for situations in which individuals are left without a way of preparing meals. The EKU contains all of the equipment necessary to cook for one to four people. The rugged streamlined design is effective as a self-contained appliance that can be shipped by the thousands to disaster areas around the world. At the same time, it is also ideal for small-scale living such as in unfinished lofts or studio, or for car or tent camping.

The Emergency Kitchen Unit supplies a safe, efficient, and compact solution for providing the amenities of kitchens where there are none. The EKU supplies water purification, heat and a workspace. Each unit functions on existing accessible and affordable technologies. Shipped easily in large quantities to all ends of the earth the EKU has endless potential.

EKU

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