Dissertation paper
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This document outlines an evidence-based study on restaurant architecture and design conducted in Manipal, India. It involved a sample survey to understand preferences of local patrons. The survey found that most patrons preferred dining out in groups of 3-6 people in the evening. Additionally, while qualities like food, ambience and cost were appreciated, patrons also expected privacy, music and better hygiene. Based on the survey results, the study analyzed existing restaurants and proposed design guidelines to better meet patron preferences using evidence-based design principles. However, due to time constraints, the effectiveness of applying the proposed guidelines could not be demonstrated.
![classy at the same time not too loud or intimidating. Seventh,
the restaurant atmosphere is desired to be flexible with respect
to purpose, occasion, preference, size of group etc. the
restaurant should be interesting and set a cheerful mood.
Eighth achieving proper light and ventilation is the key to a
good restaurant design as its essential that correct ingredients
are mixed in food also to avoid confusion in order and dish
served and ventilation so that the heat and smoke can exit the
kitchen.
A. Guidelines
Arrangement of furniture should be such that it it’s
suitable for a group of 3-6 and may be tables close to
each other can be joined. The table with four chairs is
an ideal solution.
Avoid fixed furniture, they should be movable and
the table size should be such that 4-6 people
comfortably, this will make the design flexible for all
user groups, sizes occasions etc.
Furniture arrangement should not obstruct intuitive
circulation pattern, this will ease food circulation and
avoid people bumping into furniture or each other.
Local food preparation should be preferred over
chain restaurants, or may be a combination of both.
Variety is the essence of good design.
Locally available material for construction, this will
reduce the cost of construction which can help in
reducing the cost of food for patrons.
Natural light and ventilation is a suggested design
solution to reduce the cost of maintenance, electricity,
air conditioning etc. which will reduce operational
cost. Ex. Dollops.
Designing mezzanine floors for optimum use of
space is another economic solution to achieve more
dining space.
Open to air/ roof top dining can be designed to
handle over-crowding on weekends, this also meets
the outdoor dining desire.
The external appearance should be soft,
individualistic and appealing.
Interiors should be with unique identity, abstract,
warm and inviting
The restaurant atmosphere is desired to be flexible
with respect to purpose, occasion, preference, size of
group etc. the restaurant should be interesting and set
a cheerful mood.
Patrons prefer lyrical-loud music
Accent lighting i.e. lighting used to draw attention to
special objects and/or area, in this case lighting
should be intended on tables where the major
activities take place. Faint lighting should be
achieved in the over-all area.
Privacy is one of the most desired feature, seating
arrangement should be such that it ensures privacy
and there is proper distinction between two groups of
furniture.
The storage space can be reduced by making
customizing rack sizes.
If possible the menu and/or interiors should be
changed every 3-5 years as people get bored of the
place over long durations of time.
IX. SCOPE AND FOCUS OF THE STUDY
The designing industry moves and changes because design
moves and changes and because we can impact positive
outcomes for the human condition. As construction costs
rise, codes increase and human-centred considerations
flourish, clients will demand accountability and data-
proven justification for most design decisions. Interior
designers, in their effort to remain both competitive and
innovative, will seek strategies that allow their expertise to
shine. Technology will improve the ease and availability
of existing research, and will improve digital user-
feedback and data gathering systems. It’ll be a group effort.
“Evidence-based design is going to have to be embraced
by our whole profession and those who contract our
services”. Eventually all designers will open their
windows, let in sunlight, and become more productive and
smart, using evidence-based design.
The focus is to apply Evidence-Based Design in eating
joints should result in better dining experience. This can be
done by studying the eating joints, categorizing them on
the basis of their character (type of use), doing a
comparative study within the category based on certain
parameters, critically analysing the joints and suggesting
measures to improve the quality of experience.
X. LIMITATIONS
• The study is conducted in Manipal.
• The study is user centred; it won’t deal with hygiene,
food quality, or any kind of ratings.
• The study in Manipal will be influenced by student
crowd.
• Due to time restriction the effectiveness of Evidence-
Based design cannot be demonstrated.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I have taken efforts in this project. However, it would not
have been possible without the kind support and help of many
individuals and organizations. I would like to extend my
sincere thanks to all of them.
REFERENCES
[1] http://www.iida.org/resources/category/1/1/1/6/documents/sp10-
ebd.pdf, last accessed 23rd
October 2013.
[2] Evidence-Based Design for Multiple Building Types [Hardcover], 1st
edition, D. Kirk Hamilton (Author), David H. Watkins (Author) , 2008.
[3] Indigenous Knowledge and Respectful Design: An Evidence-Based
Approach by Norman W. Sheehan, 2008.
[4] Visual Research Methods in Design, 1991, Henry Sanoff.
[5] Sackett, Rosenberg, Gray, Haynes, & Richardson, 1996.
[6] Hamilton, 2006, p. 1.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/cb470f9b-50fa-4edd-8c6a-9d02b643bf85-160506200118/85/Dissertation-paper-6-320.jpg)
Dissertation paper
- 1. EVIDENCE-BASED DESIGN IN RESTAURANT ARCHITECTURE The Deeper Meaning to Sustainability, Building Performance, Economy, Functionality and Client satisfaction. Rupal Rathi 100901089, 7th semester r4rupal29@yahoo.in Faculty of Architecture, Manipal University Manipal-576104, India I. ABSTRACT This paper outlines origin and history of evidence based design, a comparative analysis of similar eating joints, preference of users and detailed case study of few restaurants in Manipal based on the sample survey. Documentation and comparison of various qualitative features such as arrangement of furniture, circulation pattern, lighting, noise level, location, connectivity, scale of restaurant etc. and finally a set of guidelines to design a restaurant with desired features by the people of Manipal. Evidence based design is an approach where the designer’s philosophical or intuitive knowledge is replaced by user-desired qualities in a space A. Keywords Evidence-Based Design, Restaurant Architecture, Survey, Research, Eating Joints. II. OUTLINE “An evidence-based designer makes decisions – with an informed client–based on the best available information from credible research and evaluations of projects. Critical thinking is required to draw rational inferences about design from information that seldom fits a unique situation precisely. The process works especially well in the health-care field.” (Hamilton, 2006, p. 1) Restaurants are visitors-centred spaces, successful running of a restaurant is primarily dependent on people’s liking towards the place. As a consequence it’s very important to understand the crowd of that region, their expectations from a restaurant and the ambience they favour to give them the desired dining experience. As a result of above theory this paper is a research done on already existing restaurants in Manipal where surveys are done to understand the qualitative expectations of patrons to provide guidelines to design as well as renovate restaurants. A. Aim “To apply Evidence Based Design in eating joints” B. Research Statement “To analyse the current restaurant market and suggest design guidelines for renovation in addition to new proposals for restaurant designing based on Evidence-Based Design.” C. Research Objectives 1) To understand the likes and dislikes of users. 2) To find the factors users mind and don’t mind compromising with. 3) To critically analyse the space and prioritize the flaws. 4) To assess the situation and give a solution to make the experience better. 5) To do a comparative analysis of similar eating joints. 6) To study the features which influence the success of an eating joint. 7) To suggest a novelty in the eating joint industry for Manipal. D. Variables In this case Evidence Based Design is independent variable and Restaurant Architecture is dependent variable. Research Statement implies Evidence Based Designing of restaurants should increase the productivity of restaurants and client/customer satisfaction. I.e. Restaurant Architecture + Evidence Based Design = better productivity + client/customer satisfaction. E. Contextual definitions Evidence Based Design: “a process for the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence from research and practice in making critical decisions, together with an informed client, about the design of each individual project.” (David White Myer, http://www.iida.org/content.cfm/the-future-of-evidence- based-design, 31 August, 2013). Restaurant Architecture: Restaurant Architecture is the strategic step to understand and program the space requirement for proposed restaurant whether it’s a stand-alone building tenement finish for a vanilla box or a renovation of existing building from prior use. (http://www.arcwestarchitects.com/2010/12/21/restaurant- design-the-design-process/, 17 August 2013, 3:45 pm) Productivity: in terms of improved experience of visit, better use of space, lowering expenses for both owner and visitor, making the space desirable for frequent visit etc. III. ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF EVIDENCE BASED DESIGN Evidence-based design in the sector of hospitality is a relatively recent approach in design inspired by its
- 2. predecessor Evidence-based medicine, a popular practice in hospitals and rehabilitation centres. In contrast EBD is less well defined and less rigorously constructed, as can be observed in the definition quoted above, which refers to ‘best available information from credible research’, hence, it stresses ‘information’ instead of ‘evidence’ and ‘credible’ instead of ‘systematic’ research, but also includes the vague notion of ‘evaluation of projects. IV. LITERATURE REVIEW A study of published information like research papers, journals, articles etc. on Evidence Based Design and Restaurant Architecture which has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis. Three papers namely Evidence-Based Design: Theoretical and Practical Reflections of an Emerging Approach in Office Architecture, (Undisciplined! Proceedings of the Design Research Society Conference 2008. Sheffield, UK. July 2008), Indigenous Knowledge and Respectful Design: An Evidence-Based Approach (Norman W. Sheehan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, DesignIssues: Volume 27, Number 4 Autumn 2011), The Future of Evidence-Based Design (David White Myer, http://www.iida.org/content.cfm/the-future-of- evidence-based-design, 31 August, 2013) are referred as the theoretical basis of this study. A. Findings and Theory “An evidence-based designer makes decisions–with an informed client–based on the best available information from credible research and evaluations of projects. Critical thinking is required to draw rational inferences about design from information that seldom fits a unique situation precisely. The process works especially well in the health-care field.” (Hamilton, 2006, p. 1) The idea is to create a complex yet reflexive and adaptive organization. Indigenous respect is about showing care and awareness in the way we identify, explore, and assess meaning because we know our view is always incomplete. Watkins suggests that EBD, less formally, already occurs in designing other building types. “We use facts to inform our designs,” he states, noting that rational experience, building codes and guidelines, as well as existing practices, such as post-occupancy evaluations, all provide designers with solid information that directs design decisions B. Influence of Literature Study on Methodology In all of the above studies first a survey is done to find out about the comforts and discomforts of users, there expectations from the space and their feedbacks on the desired qualities of the space. Secondly, based on this case study of the space is done where various aspects like lighting, ventilation, noise level, furniture arrangement and comfort, circulation pattern etc. are documented to critically analyse the design issues of the space. Thirdly, design guidelines are established and implemented based on above information to test the effectiveness of Evidence-Based design. Finally, the same procedure is the followed in several other places to derive a generalization. Similarly, to understand the crowd of that region, their expectations from a restaurant and the ambience they favour to give them the desired dining experience a sample survey is done, based on which 5 case studies are finalized. Then a questionnaire is formed where people present in the restaurant are asked what they like and dislike about the restaurant and also suggestions for improvement. Staff is interviewed to understand the current scenario of the restaurant. Qualitative aspects of these spaces are documented and compared. The above information is analysed and guidelines are proposed. Unfortunately due to time constrain it is not possible to apply and demonstrate the effectiveness of Evidence-Based design and to generalize it. V. SAMPLE SURVEY The final draft of sample survey contains a refined questionnaire in three sets of questions i.e. open ended questions (refer annexure 1), guiding questions (refer annexure 2), and closed ended questions (refer annexure 3), is drawn based on various qualitative aspects which can be altered with better designing, to understand the likes and dislikes of users. A. Analysis of open ended questions Fig. 1 Favoured Hour of Meal Fig. 2 Eating Out v/s Delivery Fig. 3 Group Size Fig. 4 Frequency of Eating Out Evidence points that more than 2/3 of the patrons favour dinner hours over lunch, and more than 4/5 prefer to go out and eat instead of ordering in. Restaurants are less visited in lunch hours due to time restriction and slow service speed. Majority of the crowd eats out as often as 2-4 times a week.
- 3. Restaurants are mostly visited in a group of 3-6 people, thus arrangement of furniture should be such that it it’s suitable for a group of 3-6 and may be tables close to each other can be joined. Fig. 5 Qualities Present Restaurants Fig. 6 Qualities Expected are Appreciated for Food, ambience, cost, variety, service, hygiene and location are certainly the main qualities expected and appreciated in design, but through this survey two factors which are absent and expected in restaurants are privacy and music which are physical elements very easy to incorporate in design. Besides hygiene the third highest expected quality in a restaurant that users look for but it’s not one of the major concerns in any of the current restaurants. This tells us that in a restaurant design designing of kitchen and sanitation facilities the third most important thing after food and planning the dining area. B. Pattern achieved on regrouping the data based on different parameters Based from open ended questions on parameters like type of crowd, time it’s usually visited, frequency of visit, what are these places liked for, size of group etc. to check if we can derive a pattern in behaviour of users. On the basis of group size tells us that patrons who eat out very often tend to visit it in groups of 3-6 whereas people who eat out rarely or daily tend to visit in small or large groups and favour lunch hours. On the basis of preference of time of dining evidently points that evening hours are preferred over lunch hours by all the other groups except for KMC. Patrons from KMC favour lunch hours. People from all the user groups agree going out to eat over home delivery as the restaurants are located at close quarters. In order food, ambience, cost, variety, service, hygiene and location are undoubtedly the main qualities which are responsible for successful running of a restaurant. C. Analysis of Guided Questions Fig. 7 Purpose of visiting a restaurant The restaurant should be flexible and visited for more than one reason and / or occasion. Attil, aloha, basil, opium, KFC, dollops are few restaurant which satisfy more than one ambient quality of a restaurant which is one of the main reasons of frequent visits. D. Analysis of Closed Ended Questions Fig. 8 Qualities in a Restaurant
- 4. Fig. 9 Design Dependent Qualities in a Restaurant The average rating of a restaurant changes if only design elements of a restaurant is changed, not only this but the design elements influence other co-features of a restaurant too. We as designers may not be able to control food quality, quantity, cost, service speed etc. directly but they are very significant factors which decide the productivity and efficiency of a restaurant these qualities can be enhanced if the elements of seating arrangement, privacy, lighting etc. are optimized. Thus, improvement in these qualities not only upgrades the overall rating of a restaurant but also influences other co-elements of restaurant qualities. For example both CCD and Pizza hut score high in all the design qualities but due to high cost of construction, expensive ambience, and standard food preparation the cost increases, food becomes monotonous, sense of variety is lost which brings the overall rating of these restaurants down. VI. CASE STUDY Based on the above survey five restaurant were chosen which are very different from each other with the idea of choosing one restaurant each from the groups of restaurants with similar features or reason for preference. TABLE I. FINALIZED CASE STUDIES Restaurants Reason(s) Attil Ambience, food, privacy, hygiene, family restaurant Dollops Location, cost, service, food Dominos Popular for home delivery Café coffee day Most preferred café in town Pangala Didn’t score good in qualities yet popular A. Mind Mapping Mind mapping is done as part of case study during lunch and dinner hours on weekdays, weekends and other holidays or festivals to see if there is a pattern. From the mind maps it’s clear that restaurants are least visited on week days lunch time and most visited on weekend, holiday or festival evening for dinner. This analysis is cross referred with the restaurant staff and has been proven true. Mostly restaurants have lounges which are used only when large groups visit or during weekends in case of over-crowding. From the seating preference on casual day in attil it is observed that patrons prefer to sit leaving empty tables in between two groups. They first occupy corner tables. This exhibits a desire for privacy while dining. VII. SURVEY A survey is done in the following 3 parts the first part of survey is staff interviews where staff is asked questions about the comfort of service, kitchen, home delivery etc. Second part of the survey is questions asked to visitors about the qualitative aspects of restaurants understand their prospects. Third is picture questionnaire. A. Analysis of Staff Interview This confirms the inference from mind mapping exercise that most people visit restaurants on weekend evenings and its least visited on weekday afternoons. The kitchens are modified by the staff according to their convenience and the storage is done for shorter periods to ensure freshness of food making the kitchen user friendly and the storage and washing area sufficient. The storage space can be reduced by making customized size racks. Over-crowding is controlled by queue system supervised by hosts and utilizing the extra dining space. Efficient service is considered the essence of good restaurant design. There are separate staff for home delivery facilities. The staff has adapted to the design and don’t sense the need of improvement in design. B. Analysis of Visitor’s Questionnaire
- 5. Fig. 10 On The Spot Rating Of Restaurant The above graph illustrates that restaurants which have qualities like reasonable pricing, food quality, food quantity, efficient service fall short in other qualities such as seating comfort, cutlery, noise level, music etc. and vice versa. Let’s observe these cases one by one: Pangala where cost, food quality, quantity, service are appreciable it lacks seating comfort, desired noise level, privacy, music, access; Dollops has god food quality, quantity, cost, location, service but need seating comfort, better cutlery, music, privacy and ambience; Dominos has seating comfort, lighting, music, cleanliness, location but features like cutlery, reasonable pricing, privacy, access are absent; Café coffee day where cost, food quality and quantity are not up to the mark scores high in all the other aspects like seating comfort, cutlery, music, location, privacy, access and service; Attil which is appreciated for its lighting, music, seating comfort, cutlery, ambience, cleanliness and noise level deficits privacy, access, location, service and cost . Thus we can conclude that restaurants in Manipal in general lack reasonable price, sense of privacy, access and good music. C. Analysis of Quality Specific Questions TABLE II. RESPONSES OF VISITORS The analysis elucidates that patrons like the restaurant atmosphere to be stimulating and lively and ambience that makes them active, think, and talk. The interiors should be edgy and abstract that gives them a feel of visiting someplace new and different but it should be classy at the same time not too loud or intimidating. The restaurant atmosphere is desired to be flexible with respect to purpose, occasion, preference, size of group etc. the restaurant should be interesting and set a cheerful mood. Patrons prefer lyrical-loud music over soft and lighting should not be very bright. Indoor spaces with buffet are desired more than outdoor because of the extreme climate. D. Analysis of Picture Questionnaire It elucidates that in outdoor seating restaurants ocean / lake / pool side locations are liked best by patrons. The external appearance should be soft, individualistic and appealing, neither too casual nor too grand but something that interests them to visit it. Comfortable couches are best preferred. Interiors with unique identity of the place is liked, not loud or intimidating dynamics but interiors which are warm and inviting. Accent lighting i.e. lighting used to draw attention to special objects and/or area, in this case lighting should be intended on tables where the major activities take place. Faint lighting should be achieved in the over-all area. Privacy is one of the most desired feature, seating arrangement should be such that it ensures privacy and there is proper distinction between two groups of furniture. Pool side, open planning, shaded seating is the kind of ambience user’s desire. VIII. CONCLUSIONS Evidence based design is an approach where the user’s needs, wants and wishes are put above designer’s philosophical or intuitive knowledge in designing a space. Based on this theory the following conclusions are drawn: First restaurants are less visited in lunch hours due to time restriction and slow service speed, whereas weekend evening hours are leisure and people wish to spend it with their loved ones someplace different. Second, efficient service is considered the essence of good restaurant design. The cause of dollops being the most visited restaurant even with the flaws in ambience and dominos being the most successful chain restaurant is servicing strategies and also when asked to the staff they also answered that good service is most important for in restaurant business. Third, the restaurants in Manipal in general lack reasonable price, sense of privacy, access and good music. The reason why people some time prefer home delivery is lack of transportation means, privacy and good music. Fourth, Patrons prefer lyrical-loud music over soft music and lighting should not be very bright usually matching the ambience and feel of space. Fifth, Indoor spaces with buffet are desired more than outdoor because of the climate. Manipal has extreme climatic conditions with four to five months of rainy season and four to five months of hot-humid summers therefore, outdoor seating is not advisable. Sixth, patrons like the restaurant atmosphere to be stimulating and lively and ambience that makes them active, think, and talk. The interiors should be edgy and abstract that gives them a feel of visiting someplace new and different but it should be A B Your choice A/B Stimulating Passive AAABABAA Edgy Subtle ABABABAA Loud Classy BBBBBBBB Flexible Rigid AAAAAAAA Interesting Composed AAABAAAA Soft music Rock/ lyrical ABBBBABB Bright Dim lights BBABBBBB Cheerful Calm AAAABAAB Indoor Outdoor BBAAABAA Buffet A la carte ABAAABBB
- 6. classy at the same time not too loud or intimidating. Seventh, the restaurant atmosphere is desired to be flexible with respect to purpose, occasion, preference, size of group etc. the restaurant should be interesting and set a cheerful mood. Eighth achieving proper light and ventilation is the key to a good restaurant design as its essential that correct ingredients are mixed in food also to avoid confusion in order and dish served and ventilation so that the heat and smoke can exit the kitchen. A. Guidelines Arrangement of furniture should be such that it it’s suitable for a group of 3-6 and may be tables close to each other can be joined. The table with four chairs is an ideal solution. Avoid fixed furniture, they should be movable and the table size should be such that 4-6 people comfortably, this will make the design flexible for all user groups, sizes occasions etc. Furniture arrangement should not obstruct intuitive circulation pattern, this will ease food circulation and avoid people bumping into furniture or each other. Local food preparation should be preferred over chain restaurants, or may be a combination of both. Variety is the essence of good design. Locally available material for construction, this will reduce the cost of construction which can help in reducing the cost of food for patrons. Natural light and ventilation is a suggested design solution to reduce the cost of maintenance, electricity, air conditioning etc. which will reduce operational cost. Ex. Dollops. Designing mezzanine floors for optimum use of space is another economic solution to achieve more dining space. Open to air/ roof top dining can be designed to handle over-crowding on weekends, this also meets the outdoor dining desire. The external appearance should be soft, individualistic and appealing. Interiors should be with unique identity, abstract, warm and inviting The restaurant atmosphere is desired to be flexible with respect to purpose, occasion, preference, size of group etc. the restaurant should be interesting and set a cheerful mood. Patrons prefer lyrical-loud music Accent lighting i.e. lighting used to draw attention to special objects and/or area, in this case lighting should be intended on tables where the major activities take place. Faint lighting should be achieved in the over-all area. Privacy is one of the most desired feature, seating arrangement should be such that it ensures privacy and there is proper distinction between two groups of furniture. The storage space can be reduced by making customizing rack sizes. If possible the menu and/or interiors should be changed every 3-5 years as people get bored of the place over long durations of time. IX. SCOPE AND FOCUS OF THE STUDY The designing industry moves and changes because design moves and changes and because we can impact positive outcomes for the human condition. As construction costs rise, codes increase and human-centred considerations flourish, clients will demand accountability and data- proven justification for most design decisions. Interior designers, in their effort to remain both competitive and innovative, will seek strategies that allow their expertise to shine. Technology will improve the ease and availability of existing research, and will improve digital user- feedback and data gathering systems. It’ll be a group effort. “Evidence-based design is going to have to be embraced by our whole profession and those who contract our services”. Eventually all designers will open their windows, let in sunlight, and become more productive and smart, using evidence-based design. The focus is to apply Evidence-Based Design in eating joints should result in better dining experience. This can be done by studying the eating joints, categorizing them on the basis of their character (type of use), doing a comparative study within the category based on certain parameters, critically analysing the joints and suggesting measures to improve the quality of experience. X. LIMITATIONS • The study is conducted in Manipal. • The study is user centred; it won’t deal with hygiene, food quality, or any kind of ratings. • The study in Manipal will be influenced by student crowd. • Due to time restriction the effectiveness of Evidence- Based design cannot be demonstrated. ACKNOWLEDGMENT I have taken efforts in this project. However, it would not have been possible without the kind support and help of many individuals and organizations. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of them. REFERENCES [1] http://www.iida.org/resources/category/1/1/1/6/documents/sp10- ebd.pdf, last accessed 23rd October 2013. [2] Evidence-Based Design for Multiple Building Types [Hardcover], 1st edition, D. Kirk Hamilton (Author), David H. Watkins (Author) , 2008. [3] Indigenous Knowledge and Respectful Design: An Evidence-Based Approach by Norman W. Sheehan, 2008. [4] Visual Research Methods in Design, 1991, Henry Sanoff. [5] Sackett, Rosenberg, Gray, Haynes, & Richardson, 1996. [6] Hamilton, 2006, p. 1.