The most extensive project of my second year was the Read, Store, Lounge, and Exhibit project. Our goal was to create a 1/4th scale furniture piece that was multifunctional and can be used in the Art+Architecture Library.

My research started out by listing all of the actions, environment, interactions, objects, and users in the setting we were to design for. At this stage, I also learned about statistics in learning environments and what type of furniture is used in libraries.

After collecting all of the research, I started my ideation process by sketching chair-like forms that are comfortable, multipurpose, and modular.The trapezoidal forms can be turned into a chair or a table.

I then decided to work with Sarah Parrish, as she focused on the exhibition and storage, and I focused on the lounging and surface portion.

Our second ideation process targeted on combining Sarah’s shelf and my seating with the same scale, aesthetic, materials. I ideated a bit more and created mini-mockups of my piece to play with different forms.

Our goal was to implement the materials already in the library, so we chose aluminum and cherry for the shelf and the frame of the chair, and nylon mesh for the seating component.

Through Fusion 360, Sarah and I were able to combine our pieces together and see how they looked. With this program, we were also able to create our technical drawings and 3D printings. We also figured out the essential sizes of our materials so that we knew our budget and knew where to buy these materials.

One of the main construction-building experience I learned was knowing about tolerance. Materials like aluminum or plastic tend to be very precise, and precision can be sometimes a challenging aspect in building. If two perfectly measured objects are meant to fit, they will not. Tweaking the measurements a little helps to combine the pieces together.

 

The Seat, Store, Lounge, and Exhibit Furniture Project gave me a good amount of experience and knowledge in construction-making and craft building. The team work between Sarah and I was excellent, as she knew more skills in building and sewing, and I helped with our presentation and graphics.

 

The work then continues as we try to make a booklet from our furniture project.