The Gondola Project

BY THOMAS BRODERICK

Early in the fall Northwood School Trustee Erik Berg ’92, a former teacher and alumnus called me. He was effusive and enthusiastic, and he outlined the following idea: Northwood should try to win, through auction, two Whiteface Mountain Cloudsplitter gondolas, upcycle them, and auction them off to raise money for the Northwood Fund. He called me because he learned that I was teaching Social Entrepreneurship & Design Thinking, and he thought having kids design and retrofit the gondolas would be a worthwhile project. Of course, those who know me know I loved the idea.

Upcycling old gondolas is a big deal in ski communities. If you google upcycled gondolas, you will see saunas, privacy booths, vending machines, and in the age of COVID-19 — dining pods.

Head of School Michael Maher also loved the idea, and we shared the vision with the Board of Trustees during the fall board meeting. Trustee and entrepreneur Brian Lilly ’85 reached out and offered to donate the funds needed to win the gondolas at auction. I was not surprised by Mr. Lilly's philanthropy. During the construction of the Innovation Hub, we spent some time touring the facility together. Today, the second floor is named the Brian Lilly '85 Center for Entrepreneurship in his honor.

With Mr. Lilly's backing in place, the school submitted two winning bids and the gondolas were delivered in late October. In January, the thirteen students of Social Innovation & Design Thinking were introduced to the Gondola Project and its four phases.

Students in the class produced eight unique designs. Kaiya Belisle, a senior from Lake Placid, has developed The

PHASE I Introduction to design thinking

PHASE II Design contest — students create an upcycling concept and develop a pitch video

PHASE III Team renovation of gondola and fundraising for needed materials and labor

PHASE IV Final auction pitch video and upcycled gondola reveal

Cloudsplitter Relaxation Station, a space where a person can get away from it all. The retrofitted gondola has swing chairs, wood features, music, and more to help relieve stress for those who enter the new space.

Omiel Brito and Jordan Harrison, two seniors from New York, N.Y. and Cambria Heights, N.Y., respectively, proposed transforming their space into The Cloudsplitter Privacy Booth. The office-like area will be a perfect remote workstation and feature an aquarium because studies show that aquariums lower stress.

Jalen Commissiong, a senior from Bermuda, tied his Cloudsplitter Sauna & Tanning Booth to his love of the sun and warm weather. The retrofit will allow anyone, anywhere, to be warm and tan.

David Green, a junior from Chile, envisioned the gondola as a Power Lift charging station. The retrofit gondola will be a perfect space for travelers in airports, busy neighborhoods, or other public areas, with the ideal environment for them to charge their devices while they are on the go.

Lars Kroes (senior from Lake Placid), Mark Monico (senior from Harbor, N.Y.), & Joe Papin (junior from Redwood, N.Y.) teamed up to make the Gondola-drop Camper. Their upcycled gondola will feature an aerodynamic attachment designed after the Lake Placid ski jumps to provide fuel efficiency and the extra sleeping space to turn the Cloudsplitter Gondola into the perfect camper to take on any adventure.

Seniors Andrew Mazza, from Manasquan, N.Y., and Calil Neme-Filho, from San Paulo, Brazil, envisioned turning the Gondola into The ADK Tiki Bar. The retrofitted space will remove the floor, add seating around the gondola, open the windows and provide drinks to any pool, patio, or deck.

Jasmin Valenzuela, a senior from Stamford, Conn., envisions the gondola as a Coffee Break Café. The Café will be centrally located on any school/college campus and provide students, faculty, and staff a perfect space for the ideal coffee break.

Finally, senior Chuer Zhang, from Liuzhou, China, believes her idea to turn the Cloudsplitter Gondola into a Hot Tub is best for any ski chalet. Where better to sit on a wintry night but in a warm gondola-tub looking at the stars?

The most popular design concept in the initial round, The ADK Tiki Bar, was identified by polling the Northwood community. The third trimester class will compete to identify the design concept of the second gondola. Both winning designs are expected to be fabricated next year by an advanced design and fabrication class. Once fabricated, the upcycled gondolas will be auctioned online with all proceeds supporting the Northwood Fund.

UPCYCLED GONDOLAS WILL BENEFIT THE NORTHWOOD FUND.

Students, post-demo, are ready to bring their design vision alive.