The Work Triangle: Does It Still Work?

The Work Triangle: Does It Still Work?

Kitchen space planners generally have strong views, both pro and con, about the efficacy of the kitchen 'work triangle' as reflected in the comments of several West Coast designers and architects.

YES It's Alive and Well, It's Functional & It Works
"We use the work triangle in all our kitchen designs, not only as a starting point, but also as a checkpoint to make sure the kitchen is functionally efficient," proclaims triangle advocate Larry Paul, AIA, NCARB, of L.A. Paul & Associates, in San Francisco. "Whether you prepare a meal, warm up leftovers or heat a frozen entree instead of cooking from scratch, you still use the same four appliances and fixtures refrigerator, range or cooktop, sink and dishwasher and they need to be located near one another to harmonize efficiency.

"For us, the 21-foot-sum triangle works best for average-size kitchens. That size puts the major appliances and adjacent work areas within two or three steps of one another, saving time and energy the perfect example of a time-and-motion study applied to meal preparation resulting in less steps taken, less energy expended and less time wasted walked back and forth."

But in a number of kitchens, the wall oven or microwave is used as much or more than the range or cooktop.