Process & Research
12.11.14
FU TURE FURNITURE SPACE SAVING
Wesley Norris BDes 2015
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HOW WILL FURNITURE CHANGE IN THE FUTURE? Intent for this project My intent in this research study was to develop a better understanding of the current and future technologies of furniture design for the purpose of small spaces. I intended to reinterpret the format, functionality and production process of everyday furniture. With a close focus on hybrid furniture with multiple uses.
Some specific areas of my focus are; analysing the studies of Ernst Neufurt and the human bodies relation to space, investigating the architectural plans for small dwellings, researching hybrid materiality, exploring mechanisms for space conservation, and looking into the furniture that is crucial for functionality and productivity.
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Future Furniture Contents
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Preface Room Mockup Personal Experience Mechanism Investigation Thoughts Ideation Mockups and Illustration Annotated Bibliography
Throughout this entire project I tried to keep a few core values in mind. I would like to push my practice in an eco-conscious direction with a large focus on sustainability. With that in mind there was always a starting point for my decisions on materiality and industrial process. Although this project never made it to a final stage of production for a piece of furniture I was still able to hypothetically search out companies to manufacture furniture who also hold the same set of core values about environmentally friendly industry.
This project was my first truly independent venture and it was an eye opening experience. Independent projects can often be pushed to the side when freelancing or have other deadlines to meet. This allowed me to realize how difficult working speculatively can be if I was not invested in my own ideas.
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Anticipated Changes The millennial generation think differently from past generations and this will innately change the way we inhabit spaces.
Preface Seeing as the world population is getting larger yet the worlds liveable areas remain the same, the problem of housing and affordability is causing many issues. I am very interested in the shift this will cause in the near future. I believe the millennial generation will no longer have a desire to live in suburbs, instead they will choose to live in affordable smaller dwellings. This would include small apartment style city living or smaller prefabricated homes. I have noticed that there are companies providing smaller housing options, however, there are not as many options for functional furniture to fill these small liveable spaces.
FU FURNI
SPACE SAVING
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Starting Approach 1
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Step One
Step Two
Compile valuable data, and resource material to analyse and evaluate. Gathering everything at the beginning allowed me to focus and stay on topic.
Read, read, and then read some more. Much of the material I gathered was dense architectural data about space and the human interaction with enclosed areas.
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Step Three
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Begin to formulate my own ideas and judgements on the information I was acquiring. I had to realise that I do not have an architectural education and my thoughts at this point will often be generalizations and brief overviews.
Begin to postulate my ideas and form valid evidence for my conclusions. By being aware of my own knowledge I set a platform to make honest arguments to support my ideas.
TURE ITURE
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ROOM MOCKUPS By 3D rendering many small rooms and then placing furniture beside the space I was able to better understand the relationship of furniture to space. I focused on a few key elements, some of which were; bed, desk, bedside table, alternative lighting source, laundry hampers, comfortable sitting space, small garbage, and a small desk chair. When creating these spaces the character I have in mind is a single male/female middle class student or young professional. Someone who is environmentally aware and who doesn’t fall into regular mass consumer habits. Meaning this person would rather live small with a better quality then to live large with many “things�.
1 This small studio space I created was intended to point out problem areas with furniture when looking at unconventional architectural angles.
1 The model informed my decisions on furniture use in relation to activity and it gave me a better insight into the unmarked divisions of space.
1 The harsh angles of this model led me to realize that almost every small living space will still have space for a small bed. In all the architectural research I did this was always the case.
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This space proved to be one of the most versatile shapes. The aspect ratio of this small space fits most conventional furniture with ease. Something this taught me was to always account for body movement.
For this living space I wanted to experiment with how a space would feel if it had length but no width. This was a test to see how small was too small.
Similar to the previous living space, this studio was mocked up to test aspect ratios effect on furniture as well. The result of creating a square space was interesting.
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The reason this aspect ratio works so well is mainly due to the aspect ratio of the furniture being placed into the space. Most of the furniture we use on a regular basis is a narrow rectangular shape.
The result of my experiment was that narrow spaces can quickly feel claustrophobic and do not offer enough space to live comfortably.
I was under the impression that a square would provide the feeling of perceived space. Contrary to what I thought this test showed me that wall space is very valuable.
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The narrow rectangular shape of most furniture paired with the space occupied by the person in the space creates a efficient use of space.
Although this is far to narrow for most people I do believe there is intrigue in this design challenge. I imagine to make this space comfortable you would have to use the height to create an openness.
In small spaces furniture tends to rest against the walls and this aspect ratio left a sense of congestion when I tried to place the furniture.
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Personal Experience
My Room I have been living in small spaces for the past four years now and my newest home is by far the smallest room I have inhabited. At a small 8 feet long and five feet wide, I was able to create a space that fits leisure, sleep, and productive work space. Also without a closet I was able to make an organizational effort at concealing all my clothing. I found that the ability to use light and plants can open up a space and by using a bed as a sitting area the room becomes multifunctional as a living room as well.
The futon bed I own is a single bed with “click clack� ends. This allows the foot and head of the bed to fold up and become the arms of a couch.
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Mechanism Investigation
Understanding Mechanisms A simple machine is a mechanical device that changes the direction or magnitude of a force. In general, they can be defined as the simplest mechanisms that use mechanical advantage (also called leverage) to multiply force. Usually the term refers to the six classical simple machines which were defined by Renaissance scientists; lever, wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plane, wedge, and screw. By learning about these different physical basic machines I was able to envision more complex mechanisms and understand the physics behind their designs. This allowed me to make educated guesses in my design decisions.
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“Not only does todays generation lack the financial stability to invest in large homes, they are also more likely to invest in experiences.”
Thoughts I found that most of the value in this project came from my ability to formulate my own thoughts and ideas revolving around the current state of consumer culture. This also set me up to make educated prediction into where I believe our culture is moving toward in terms of real estate and ownership
The value of mechanical advance in small living spaces is tremendous. Architects now hold the power to design comfortable living areas in somewhat unfathomable spaces. The days of western sized mansions are a thing of the past. Not only do today’s’ generation lack the financial stability to invest in large homes, they are also more likely to invest in experiences. This means that the western convention of large 2000+ square foot homes are a thing of the past and the next generation of buyers are more focused on location and affordability. With spaces becoming smaller to meet the needs of the next generation of buyers, the mechanisms to make the spaces functional will continue to develop and diversify.
can be narrowed down into these categories for optimal space saving with the lack of over stepping cultural norms. Kitchen/eating space, Bathroom, and finally a sleep/work/ leisure space. For the purpose of this project I will only be focussing on the sleep/work/ leisure space. The kitchen/eating space and bathroom are both areas which need to be separated for the soul fact of cleanliness and the creature comforts that these spaces provide to an individual. The space of sleep/ work/leisure can be combined due to the inability to do all three of these activities at once. While working one cannot be sleeping and for productivity to occur the individual should be geared away from partaking in leisure activities.
Through the research I’ve conducted I’ve made the conclusion that as spaces get smaller the uniqueness of these spaces increases. This is the result of so many things being hand made to fit the needs of each individual living in a small space. The only small living space where this is not the case is in RV’s and trailers. In mobile living spaces companies often make the layouts the same, with very similar furniture. Therefore there are two distinct furniture markets for small living space currently available. Buying pre-made, where the space is already made for you with all the furniture being the same as all the other pre-made options, or you can make your own furniture by hand to fit the custom space you choose. This is a major reason that I believe there needs to be a diversity creating in the furniture that people can buy, the current market is missing the uniqueness that people want.
With these things in mind I began to compile a minimalistic list of the furniture and possessions needed to make this one space functional, productive and not deter from the occupants happiness. Crucial things for the space would be a, bed, desk, clothing storage, bedside table, chair, and laundry management. The furniture industry currently has an endless selection of chairs and they vary in their functionality and size, which led me to investigate the bed, desk and bedside table. Currently our western culture uses a very large standard bed. For the purposes of my project I aim to create something that any individual would choose over a standard single bed, and dare I say some people may choose my design over a queen. After analysing the alternative mattress options I aim to create a Cot/Hammock/memory foam Hybrid. The current alternative options would fall into the categories of; Air mattresses, futons, hammocks, and various hybrids for box-springs.
With most of the engineering going into dividing spaces with sliding walls and fold-able kitchens. I believe that these same types of mechanical problem solving should go toward the rethinking of furniture and how it can define a space. By analysing the different spaces in a functional living space I was able to focus on a few key areas; Kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, workspace, leisure space, and eating space. Now from a single human occupancy perspective this
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Ideation
Sketches
Much of my research involved mechanisms. However when I was looking at mechanisms I also found that a large section of furniture being overlooked was loose hanging materials. These sketches explore that materiality.
By using netting and one stationary hook on the ceiling a very compact seat could be made that would be comfortable to sit in and manoeuvre around a small space.
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Overlooked Designs In this area of my research I tried to focus on design ideas that were not currently being explored in the consumer market. The intent was to mesh productive work space, leisure space, and a sleeping area.
1 Desk/Bed Flipping your space. In this design the workspace of the desk would directly correspond to the sleeping space. A series of straps would secure your bedding and then the entire desk surface would unlock and rotate 180 degrees revealing the bed.
2 Desk/Bed Unfold and sleep. This design was inspired by doctors office beds, the size is incredibly small and would only be functional for people experienced with camp cot style living. However it would be very useful for someone who needed a bed in a small studio space.
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3 Couch/Desk/Bed Push or pull. This futon style bed/desk/couch combo works on an arched roller mechanism. When fully extended it lies flat on the floor as a bed. Then it pulls up into a couch setting, then if you continue to pull the back of the couch rotates and turns into a desk top.
4 Desk/Chair/Bed Sit, study, sleep. In this particular design sleep took a secondary role as the intent was to create something that functioned as a place of leisure activity and comfortable study space.
5 Bench/Bed/Desk Cot based mechanisms. This design is what fuelled the concept of my final idea. The mechanisms inside of old 18th century cot designs were highly practical for small spaces. Additionally it could support some of the ideals I wanted to keep in mind for my final design.
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Small Mockups
First attempts This mock up was an attempt to create a working model of the proposed mechanism I was going to use for my Bed/Desk piece.
The mechanism was a success and the model proved to be a valuable tool in pointing out flaws in my perceived design. The desk portion would have been a nuisance due to its’ inability to hold things while the bed was extended. This would mean the owner would have to clear off the desk every time they wanted to sleep. Also this would mean the use of a desktop computer would be impossible.
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Egyptians use to use benches and couch like furniture for both leisure and sleep.
Colin Clipson (1988) characterized mockups and analogues as defining future worlds. Yet, mockups and simulators that are useful beyond promotion of retail products must perform according stringent regulatory codes and technical standards.
For a period of time during my development phase of design I entertained the idea of an inflatable air mattress. I was under the impression that the bed inflating could act as the opening force for a nested style bed. I have seen beds that use similar mechanics, however, most of those designs are meant for camping purposes and not for permanent use. In the end I opted away from air mattresses due to their fragile nature and the nuisance of blowing the mattress up every night. Instead I started to investigate hammock style sleeping. The loose fabric was by far the easiest sleeping platform to conceal in a small space. The problem with the hammock solution was the bed posture. I believe it would be hard to convince most North American bed buyers to sleep in any position other then a perfectly horizontal flat surface. This is what led me to begin research on memory foam composites and all organic options. My design was highly influenced by this choice of materiality and the limitations created by choosing this material.
My first attempt mockups were intended to function as teaching tools. They taught me to see the flaws in a hypothetical design before I wasted time developing faulty furniture mechanisms.
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The average North American spends about 1/3 of their life sleeping. It wasn’t until 1990 that the queen size bed outsold the twin size bed.
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Final Drawings I intended to create something that would be easy to use, fit in a small space, promote productivity, and I didn’t want it to sacrifice organization for design aesthetic. I believe my bed has accomplished all of those things and has the potential to be pushed much further.
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1:1 MOCKUP By creating a 1:1 scale mockup I was able to truly evaluate my design and point out key flaws and overlooked gems in the design. As a result I understand more about the structural rigidity of this mechanism and its’ materials. There would have to be much more experimentation done with the beds fabric material. Now that I have a full size mockup I was able to envision new design aspects such as built in portable device docking stations and ambient/reading lights in the nook section under the desk. The mockup also brought to light the potential to have a fully lockable door covering, this would mean the owner could lock up all their things inside whenever the bed wasnt in use. Making it an ideal bed for dorms, Hostels or any other shared living space.
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Annotated bibliography for some of the main research I did through the course of this project.
Basic Machines. Washington: U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1965. Print. This informative book was created to teach naval engineers the basics of physics in relation to simple machines. This included everything from cantilever strength, all the way to basic combustion engines and the distribution of power. It was a useful book to read and gain some basic knowledge and ideas. It allowed me to formulate some of my ideas about mechanisms I believed might be useful for space saving furniture. “Experience of Architecture.” Atelier Bow-Wow: Echo of Space, Space of Echo. Tokyo: INAX, 2009. 14-17. Print. This article was a wonderful view on how an architect perceives space and its relation to comfort. Overall I found this article a good way to set the mood of my designs and to keep an honest environmental approach to furniture design. Griswald, Kent. “Tiny House Blog - Living Simply in Small Spaces.” Tiny House Blog. N.p., May 2007. Web. 10 Oct. 2014. This blog was a useful tool in understanding what many of the current solutions are for individuals who live in tiny houses. It showcases many homes, apartments, and alternative living approaches in North America. By looking into all of these small living spaces I was able to see how people would overcome some of the challenges of small spaces and I was also able to see what people valued when living with minimal possessions.
Neufert, Ernst, and John Thackara. Architects’ Data. London: Granada, 1980. Print. This book has almost every single piece of technical data encompassing a liveable area for any person or persons. I believe this is a critical point in my studies to design furniture for small living spaces because first I must understand the way architects approach the construction of small spaces. As well this book outlines the way the human body fits in space and standard manufacturing heights and widths. Neufert and his colleagues have covered all of the basic knowledge needed in understanding human relation to space. Shaffer, Jay, Shay Salamon, Nigel Valdez, and Gregory P. Johnson. “Small House Society.” Small House Society. N.p., 2002. Web. 10 Oct. 2014. This blog was another useful information source for finding building plans, interviews, and lifestyle tips for individuals living in small spaces. The website ha a good lay out and is easy to navigate. It has featured many well known architects and it does not shy away from showcasing obscure housing options.
Suda, Yoshihiro, and Yuka Uematsu. Suda Yoshihiro. Marugame-shi, Kagawa: Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art, 2006. Print. This book influenced my knowledge of architectural drawings. Before looking at this I had a vague idea of what an architectural drawing could be. The layout and structural detail of the drawings in this book inspired my layout design for my process book.
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Royte, E. (2005). Garbage land: on the secret trail of trash. New York: Little, Brown. After Beginning to read “Garbage Land” I quickly realized that this novel was worth its weight in gold. Elizabeth Royte is on a mission to discover where every last scrap goes, she takes it upon herself to document the passage of her garbage. This novel creates a human centred closeness to our waste management systems and it also opens our eyes to the many flaws in our societies consumption habits. Much of this novel points out the disgusting nature of North American consumer habits, while many turn away from the shame of garbage, Royte takes a different approach and attempts to understand the garbage. By tracking everything it points out major faults and areas where changes can happen. I think this is a crucial read for any designer because by understanding the waste designers are creating, we can aim to change the way we create and in turn change consumer culture. Mollerup, P. (2001). Collapsible: the genius of space-saving design. San Francisco, Calif.: Chronicle. With more and more attention being placed on eco and sustainable design I felt that this book was pertinent to de- sign activism. This book outlines the history of all things collapsible. I found that collapsible things are built with an intention to make less of an impact or take up less space. As a result the approach designers take to create collapsible things also creates objects that fit into sustainable and eco-design categories.
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About 75% of the research done for this project was scholastic articles. The other 25% was conducted via youtube, home living channel and other means of passively acquiring knowledge on this subject.
Perrulo, Y., & Benson, E. (n.d.). Re-nourish | Design Sustainably. Re-nourish | Design Sustainably. Retrieved October 15, 2014, from http://re-nourish.com/ This wonderful website links design professionals to the tools they need to be more conscious of their environmental impact. There is a wide array of information being offered in the form of; tools, blogs, articles, and sustainable design firms. Overall there wasn’t much to critique on this website, it has an easy navigation menu and easy data input screens, it is most definitely a tool I will be using in my design practice whenever I find it necessary. With all that being said I do wish that it had a different style, the website is clearly geared towards a business community which is apparent through its bright bold colours and slick clean aesthetic. Bennett, T. (2005). New keywords: A revised vocabulary of culture and society. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub. For the first time in history the globe is connected and the world has become a pool of cultural knowledge. In the past the public looked to television, radio and newspapers to become socially informed. Now the public can obtain the knowledge they seek with the click of a button, resulting in a society that is capable of global understanding. This book aims to inform its reader on the changing meaning of some of societies common power words. It gave me a broader understanding of many terms and had some very key definitions about activism, revolution, and cultural practices.
Verchot, Manon. “How to Choose Green Furniture.” TreeHugger. TreeHugger, 20 Aug. 2014. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. This website played an informative role in my choices of materiality. It showed me alternative options to paints that are more environmentally friendly. It was brief in its’ content, but I found that useful because most environmentalist can drone on and the useful information can be lost in the process. Overall this website was filled with crucial information for me to stay true to my design methodologies.