Event Research

Design:Made:Trade

Working Out Of A Cardboard Box

An ad agency in Amsterdam love cardboard so much their whole office is made of cardboard!

I like how visitors and workers are invited to draw/doodle/leave their mark as they please.

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/cliff-kuang/design-innovation/no-joke-these-guys-really-do-work-out-cardboard-box

Esquisse Four - Understanding Form

Learning about structure, material and weight.

Aim:
To work in pairs to create a 1:1 'seat' using cardboard which uses minimal material effectively to create a structure that will support the weight of one person.

Outcome:
Kayo and I started off by using sketch to brainstorm some initial ideas for the form of our chair. We wanted a clean and simple design and after a few ideas, we came to a solution which we were both happy with. It uses the basic slot system comprising of 4 separate pieces. We started off making a tiny 1:6 paper model which allowed us to figure out the exact dimension of each net piece which proved quite helpful.


After that we decided to make a 1: model to test that it would work at a more life-size scale and see how it looked in cardboard form.

Kayo testing the strength of the 1:4 scale model.

We were finally ready to construct the 1:1 scale model. The main challenge in this esquisse was that we were limited to the amount of cardboard we had to use because we were asked to source our own materials for this project. So, by using a large tv box, we managed to successfully build a 1:1 chair which we were quite proud of, (give or take a few cuts along the way!).

Kayo's dog testing out our 1:1 chair with the teddy on the 1:4 scale model.

NGV Visit and In-depth Investigation

Gerrit Rietveld's Red Blue Chair, 1917

'Be4u' Furniture Design History Project

Gerrit Rietveld and Ludwig Mies Van De Rohe

Eero Aarnio and Charles and Ray Eames

Frank Gehry and Philippe Starck

Esquisse Three - 'Locking Systems'

Exploring material and the strength of 'locking' systems.

Aim:
To create a 1:1 unique 'locking' system using only a 600 x 600mm piece of cardboard, B flute 3.2mm, (no glue or fixings) which is strengthened under load with a minimum height of 200mm. It should rely on geometry using minimal material and hold up to 100kg.

Outcome:
This process included a series of testing and adjusting. I began with a small 1:2 model which was very simply and easily held half the required weight.



After reconstructing the model at 1:1 in exactly the same design as the 1:2 model, I very quickly discovered that there were a few weak points at the top.

I then added in an extra internal support system which made it a bit stronger.



I then tested it with the weight of around 60kg and at this point I was very happy with the design and the result as it held quite easily.



When I tested it with the required weight of approximately 100kg once again it began to give way at the front and top. I was quite shattered at this point.

I then made more adjustments with more structural supports and a new way of 'locking' it all together.



It was tested for a final time and successfully held together. It wasn't as strong as I would've liked it but it didn't give in or collapse.

(It looks like it's bending at the front a little but that bend was made from a previous test so the cardboard was already damaged.)


From this esquisse, I've learnt that the bigger the surface, the weaker the strength and that folding is better than cutting.