DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE
Opinion : Design and Build - KOPA -
Miran Stirn believes manufacturers should be doing more to bespoke equipment to match a consultant ’ s designs , and not the other way around .
Specifiers of kitchen equipment , from charcoal ovens to chiller cabinets , face a familiar set of challenges . Not only does the equipment have to perform , and at the right price point , but it must also fit with its environment . And by ‘ fit ’ we can mean it in both ways : ‘ fit ’ in terms of aesthetically , in a design that complements its surroundings ; and ‘ fit ’ quite literally , in whether it can be physically installed into a space that has been allocated for it .
It ’ s a difficulty that has troubled designers for years which makes me wonder whether specifiers and equipment manufacturers including ourselves have been looking at this challenge from the wrong angle ?
Why are kitchen designers having to accommodate equipment of standard sizes into their designs , when they should really be asking the manufacturers to build equipment to fit into the designs they have created ? high quality refractory steel , for example , to make it highly resistant to intense heat and appropriate for use in plain sight of customers , or in different colour schemes to ensure the equipment blends in with its environment .
For new and brand-conscious operators , this is hugely important . Functionality does not have to be at the expense of design , or vice versa , and there is no reason why kitchen equipment that is more modern and elegant in design should not also be easy to install and use . Neither should it lose anything in performance either .
Equipment that looks good can also have a direct impact on sales , and where the equipment may be used . Open kitchens are now very much in fashion , but so too is the trend for creating cooking stations with charcoal grills ( i . e not requiring power ) on external terraces or by the poolside , creating further sales opportunities . Being able to customize equipment design – to build grills and associated equipment in different sizes , shapes and colours is a huge advantage to designers and food service consultants , challenged to make the impossible possible . And it doesn ’ t have to cost the earth .
Square pegs and round holes
Let us be clear , it is not wrong for a manufacturer to build equipment to a standard template , nor in standard colours , and specifiers will be aware of this when designing a new facility . But life isn ’ t always that easy or convenient . Sometimes space is at a premium , and the designer has to optimise what little space he / she has .
Sometimes too , a designer may want to take what is essentially a ‘ behind the scenes ’ piece of equipment and bring it to the ‘ front-of-house ’, as part of the ‘ theatre ’ of cooking and hospitality .
The arguments against creating ‘ bespoke ’ equipment are well known . Fundamentally , they come down to cost , and the inability or reluctance of certain manufacturers to adapt production lines to one-off machines . But again , this should not be a barrier , and there are ways of creating more agile manufacturing processes that allows for bespoke orders to be fulfilled without the costs being disproportionate to the task .
It is also possible to build equipment not only to a bespoke size , but also to a bespoke design , using www . kopaoven . com
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