NeoNeon: Flexseating Methodology Report

NEO-NEON: Flexible Social Seating

Foam-clad Sonotube

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Objective: The Flex Seating project was part of four different fabrication projects designed for Fusebox Festival. Flex Seating originated from the need to provide the festival with an innovative method of seating to that grouped people together but remained customizable and variable. Consequently, the design was centered on the ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ game, tying together the seats in groups in order to make clusters that were movable and organic.

In this way, we opened up the possibilities of configuration within the different performances of the festival and allowed people to be creative in their usage of the seats. The final appearance and materials for the two different kinds of seats needed to fit harmoniously within the context of the place and the neighboring projects.

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Neo-Neon: Flexible Social Seating

Researchers: Course: Instructor: Semester:

Yure Suarez, Paul Hazelet, Merlyn Wood UTSOA Materials Lab Jennifer Wong Spring 2017

Tools used

Program utilized

Basic Woodshop Tools

Adobe Illustrator AutoCAD V-Carve Pro

Materials

Cost info

Source

18” Sono Tube 3” Foil Tape

$12 / per tube $0.54 per roll Varible $3 per piece $2.45 per yard Felt: $0.48 each Plastic: $0.60 each $14.9 each roll Variable ~ 0.10 ~ $2 per unit

HD Supply Solutions Grainger Polyplastics Global FMS All Glides Amazon Pro-Dec Home Depot

Foam Cladding Acoustic Strapping Glides Carpet Tape Snap Caps Glue

Material determinant: • The parameters of the materials stemmed from the necessary affordability of the final product. Each seat had to stay on a budget of $20 per piece. Due to the amount of seats required in the space, they had neutral grey colors and will assemble the other pieces by their a tufted aesthetics. The final piece had to be comfortable in a standard dimension of 18” diameter seat.

Innovation: • The design sought to create new social configurations and celebrate the flexibility of the festival. The key element essential to achieve the reconfiguration was by reinterpreting the Jacob’s ladder toy into the pieces. This system allowed for the composite of the seats to come together in groups of different sizes.

Foam-clad Sonotube

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First protptypes explored the Jacob’s Ladder Toy system on different shapes and volumes to test flexibility of rotation.

Prototypes Small prototypes explored chain combinations, seats dimension, flexibility, comfortabiluty, and colors.

Prototypes were made out of reused scraps of wood or cardboard tubes.

The idea was to quickly mock up a version of the seating configuration that worked to test the flexibility and get an idea of strengths and weaknesses of the schemes.

Studies in a three tube chain showed possible postions and potential sizes and color arrangements for the straps connecting them.

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Neo-Neon: Flexible Social Seating

Chain of three arranged in a straight line.

Viewing straight ahead

Chain of three arranged in a curve.

Casual conversation in a small group

Chain of three arranged in a tight cluster.

Seating pods for viewing outward or for conversation between groupings

The straps overlapped and by alternating, they help hold the tubes upright.

Foam-clad Sonotube

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www.onlinefabricstore.net

www.onlinefabricstore.net

www.westmarine.com

www.onlinefabricstore.net

Material Exploration • First, we thought about cladding the seats with a felt-like material to achieve the tufted apperience of apolstry. However, this option was too expensive. It also required more labor to tuft.

• Later, prototypes were made with thin vinyl, but the material was too thin to cover well and deviated too much conceptually.

• We also explored different straping methods using the same cladding material. It lacked the visual implication of movability and we started to lean towards narrower straps instead of wide bands.

• After trying various materials of differing thickenesses and textural qualities, we arrived at a point where we knew what to look for, but the difficulty was how to achieve it in a cost and time efficient manner.

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Neo-Neon: Flexible Social Seating

tufting patterns

tufting patterns

tufting patterns

tufting patterns

[1.5”] SCALE 1:1’

[2”] SCALE 1:1’

tufting patterns

[1”x1.5”] SCALE 1:1’

[1”] SCALE 1:1’

[0.5”] SCALE 1:1’

tufting patterns

[1”x1.5”] SCALE 1:1’

Cladding patterns and prototypes were modeled in illustrator. We had looked into CNC Knife Cutting diamond patterns into flat foam or felt to give an appearance of tufting. It proved to be too difficult to cleanly complete and quite time-consuming as well.

We not only had to find a foam that would visually work, we had to understand how it would be adhered as well. We ended up having to use screws with caps to fasten it to the tubes securely.

Foam-clad Sonotube

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Material Selection • With the service of Polyplastics, we found our ideal solution in acoustic foam. It has a tufted appearance naturally, and the manufacturer agreed to cut it to the size we needed, saving large amounts of time.

• For the exterior rooftop seats, we weren’t able to use the acoustic foam since it is not waterproof, but we used a thinner, water resistant black foam that would resemble the indoor chairs in a more subdued form.

• As an extra layer of padding, and for a pop of color, a layer of higher density blue foam was placed under the seat cushions to add comfort.

• Colored ropes were inserted into the seats through pre-drilled holes where they could have hidden knots.

• The points where the ropes entered the seats were in two aluminum foil stripes along the sides, this not only offered a clean break in the foam cladding, but would reflect colors of other installations’ lights giving visual resonance.

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Neo-Neon: Flexible Social Seating

Sonotubes cut at 18” heights and organzied for assembly Foam-clad Sonotube

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Production Assembly Process: • Sonotubes were cut into 18” lengths to sit at typical seat height • CNC Routed reused plywood into circles for seat tops and attached three 2x2 legs for support • Furniture gliders were hammered into the bottoms of each leg • Aluminum foil tape added at opposite quadrants to relieve foam and allow holes for the rope. It also reduced tolerance-based errors • Foam applied with double-sided carpet tape, then screwed down for additional strength and concealed with screw caps • Holes for the ropes were drilled • Ropes were cut and thread through chains on site 10

Neo-Neon: Flexible Social Seating

The construction of the seats went through iterations of testing but the idea of how to attach the straps and integrate that connection was paramount.

Flex seats consisted on the fabrication of 80 seats to be located in two different spaces of the festival. The design of the seats centered around the idea of grouping people. Consequently, the chains of seats were linked in groups of 3, 5, 7, and 9. The final product consisted in two different sets of seats which materials and colors correspond with the space in which they were located.

Bowling Alley Seats: Black Cushion Foam Black Cladding Foam Aluminium Foil Tape Carpet Tape Screws & Caps Warm Colored Ropes

Hall and Lounge Seats: Acoustic Top Blue Cushion Foam Acoustic Cladding Foam Aluminium Foil Tape Carpet Tape Screws & Caps Cool Colored Ropes

Foam-clad Sonotube

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Neo-Neon: Flexible Social Seating

Foam-clad Sonotube

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Unresolved Issues • The seats performed well, and the structure was very resistant to the diverse usage the seats had during the festival. However, the seats wobble due to the space between their three inner wooden legs.

There were some prototypes that included four legs and yet there was some wobble still. Better means and techniques to install the legs more consistently need to be addressed.

• Additionally, the stopper knot did not work as intended. It lacked the ability to be pulled tighter or adjusted as needed. A more efficient end knot has to be applied so the seats can be assemble faster and better.

• Lastly, the carpet tape used to attach the cladding to the sonotube was not be enough to hold the corners in place. Thus, additional reinforcement took place with screws.

• Overall, there were difficulties dealing with tolerance. Human-error, as well as inconsistency in machining and assembly, forced a need to address and compensate these errors.

Conclusions • Material exploration was deeply ingrained in the design process.

It was a driver of form as well as feasibility and cost. Having a practicality in the process helped develop comprehensive ideas, even at early stages. Evolving those ideas translated our initial concept into physical furniture pieces with minimal issues and surprises. The resulting seating served its function while maintaining great flexibility.

They were eye-catching enough to attract groups, while remaining a support element for the primary attractions, and they found use as viewing platforms as well as supporting social circles in conversation.

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Neo-Neon: Flexible Social Seating

Foam-clad Sonotube

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Neo-Neon: Flexible Social Seating