1:1 MOCK UP

looking at low seating

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT 02

In my research of 100% design Tokyo, I came across this image. I think this shows a need that has yet to be met and that so form of low seating or stool might be appropriate for this site. People waiting here are either resting after seeing the exhibition, having lunch or waiting for friends and family to finish looking at the exhibition. There are several sites around exhibition like this one but none of the offer any form of seating.

TAKE 1 - FAIL!!! As you can see from the picture opposite my first attempt crashed and burnt miserably. I accidently cut two of the fold lines on the wrong side resulting in the model falling apart. Some of the other folds were also unsuccessful as they relied on the flexibility of the paper. Saying that the overall design wasn’t a complete failure the general pattern seemed to work. A few small changes to the folds need to be made ( in particular the angle of the folds that control the angle of the seat panels as they don’t sit level with the ground at the moment) and the locking system refined.

TAKE 2- This model was more successful then the last. I managed to cut all the folds correctly this time so the model didn’t fall apart. Some small changed to the arms of the chair resulted in an arm that was folded over like the pantheon chair so as not to expose the cardboard grain. The problem with adding the extra fold is that the arm now hangs below the base of the chair creating yet another problem that needs to be resolved! The locking system and some extra support for the seat also still need to be resolved.

TAKE 3- ARRRRR This model was meant to trail the new form of seat support and locking system I had developed. Unfortunately it was only after I had ruled it up and started cutting that I discovered that I had put the bottom flaps on a the wrong direction. UGH!!

TAKE 4- After much cursing I decided that it really was worth redoing. The result was another step in the right direction but in no way a completely refined model. All the folds now work, however the locking system is fairly poor. I’m not sure if this will be improved with the use of thicker cardboard or if a completely new direction is needed. I’m also not sure, even with the new support system if the chair is actually capable of supporting human weight. I still have a small amount of cardboard left that could be used for this purpose but that would counter the original concept of the chair being formed from one piece of cardboard. Unfortunately I have run out of time to develop this design further despite not being entirely happy with it.

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

Initially I planned to address the lack of adequate seating for people visiting the 100% Design show in Tokyo by providing some form of back-rest/ seating to assist people sitting on the grass. However after doing some further research I came to the conclusion that there was a general lack of seating throughout the entire exhibition. I also noticed that almost everyone was carrying a 100% show bag this gave me the idea of providing some form of chair that people could carry around with them like they do the show bags. For this to be effective the design must not only be:

· S-Seat one person (150kg)

· E-Easy to assemble

· H- Have an economical use of material

· B- Brand ready

· E-Easy to recycle

It must be:

· P- Portable

· Li- Light weight

· F-Fold and unfold easily

As an additional feature I attempted to make a couple of my designs double as a bag in an attempt to reduce the amount of stuff people needed to carry.

Concept 01: Multifunctional stool.

As the first concept I came up with it is fairly simple. The idea was to create a piece of furniture that depending on which was you positioned it could act as a stool or as a back rest. I think the concept is successful in that it uses minimal material, light weight and is easy to assemble. There are a few weaknesses however. The triangulation makes the stool side of the chair very strong and should easily hold a persons weight, the backrest side however does not have the same support and would struggle to hold up much weight. The locking system is also very simple and although it does the job is not terribly finished.

Concept 02: stool in a bag

This was based on the idea of having a bag that could be transformed into a stool. This was slightly more effective then the previous design. The only fault I notice is the two sides of the bag fall apart if you are not holding onto the handle. This is only a minor problem though and could be fixed quite simple with a couple of tabs or a different folding system.

Concept 03: folding stool 01

I like this design in that it transforms from a stool to a bag very effectively the only draw back being that you have to actually turn the bag over in order to use it as a seat which isn’t very practical. The design its self again relies on triangulation which makes it quite strong but also light weight. The overall finishes are a bit messy though and I would have to change the folding method it I were to continue on with this design.

Concept 04: Folding stool 02

This is perhaps the most nicely finished design. The chair folds and unfolds incredibly easily and is simple to assemble. It folds down flat and has a handle making it easy to transport or stack. The addition of the pocket at the front (although a little tacked on at this point) also means that brochures and other event merchandise can be stored easily without having to turn the stool over.