Process

Monica Siegel

We started with the idea of creating a piece of furnature that can flip like the Jacob's Ladder toy. We hoped that this would provide versatile seating for any environment.

Upon making a Jacob's Ladder toy, we realized that the flipping mechanism was better suited for a screen rather than a piece of furnature. From here, we focused on testing materials that would support the weight and size of a screen which must be 6 or 8 feet tall to complete its function.

The first flipping mechanism that we tried was rubber bands because we thought it would allow for more range of motion. Unfortunately, rubber bands did not work. Next we tried plastic strips which was an improvement, but not perfect even though it is what we used in our final model.

At first, we liked the idea of having a design on the screen that would be aesthetically pleasing and allow for different combinations of the screen panels. Saeed did not like our deisign and suggested that we focus on the mechanics instead of the appearance.

Our final prototype consists of three panels, spray painted black, that flip like the Jacob's Ladder. This allows for multiple configerations which can be implemented anywhere from the office to airport space. We love the way it turned out and even created a model of it in Rhino that is full scale and includes hinges instead of plastic strips.