Browsing by Subject "Hoas"

Objectives. The purpose of this study is to find out how well the kitchen solutions in the shared apartments of Foundation for Student Housing in the Helsinki Region (Hoas) currently correspond to the needs of residents. The aim is also to identify the kitchen activities from the perspective of today's students and consider how to improve the functionality of the kitchen, so that living in a shared apartment would be as smooth as possible. The specific aim of the study was to form kitchen planning principles for Hoas. Methods. The research data consisted of interviews and photos. I interviewed ten residents of Hoas, and also a representative of the Foundation. During the residents' interviews pictures of the kitchen solutions of each shared apartment were taken. Interviews and photographs were analyzed by content analysis. In addition, the kitchen space solutions were evaluated based on the criteria formed in this research. Conclusions. The residents were mostly pleased with kitchen layouts. The actual working spaces as well as storage rooms, however, were considered insufficient. Existing squares in the kitchen should be used better in the future. Residents thought that the comfort of living in shared apartments depends on the people and their practices, even though many technical solutions can improve housing conditions and social interaction between residents. The kitchen planning principles presented in this study are based on the problems identified in the current state of kitchens in shared apartments. Similar results have also been obtained in other studies that have investigated the student housing in Finland.