The Frankfurt Kitchen: A Case Study for a New Education

This article presents a proposal for a new pedagogical model that uses a case study as a new way to teach design studio based on the method employed by business schools. In the same way the Bauhaus looked for a new way do architecture, this case uses the Frankfurt Kitchen as an example to teach architecture in a different way and debate about concepts as important nowadays as prefabrication, flexibility and the role of sociology and gender in spatial design. The project assumes a problem that is the capability of attention of the students nowadays. Education has to compete with the cellular and apps as Spotify or YouTube. This case looks for an answer to this problem and uses a catchy tune by a modern pop singer to attract the students’ interest and think about the possibilities of the proposed case. The research question of the case is how could be the kitchen of the future and its aim is to make students think about the concepts enunciated thought a new pedagogical model that revisits the 1920s project in the 2020s. The project is address to 5th year Architectural Studio based in Housing and this exercise concentrates in the design of the kitchen. The task after capturing their attention thought the video clip is to study other cases as well as making their own proposal. The outcome of the project will be a kitchen design that answers to the proposed questions in the twenty-first century. The potential to be replicated is enormous not only though other spaces of the house but also to other typologies related to education, sports or public institutions so it could be transformed in a teaching method with different case studies.