Creating a personal space was the idea behind the project. Creating a personal space out of something ordinary was important in the brainstorming process. At college campuses throughout the country, students look to enjoy their surroundings while studying at the same time. Most students carry their books and notes to class via a backpack, which is an object that only serves one purpose. The opportunity for a backpack to serve more then one purpose for a student would provide them with a convenient way to enjoy the outdoors of their school. The backpack would not only carry books and school supplies but transform into a chair, allowing students to sit down on possibly muddy grass or even create their own shady spot to view a computer on a sunny day. The real benefit of the backpack is the capability of the chair to fully compress into the standard bag structure without large increases of weight or bulk. For this idea to become a reality, there would be lots of work involved to reach the overall goal. Once it became clear the immence work this project would involve, the focus turned to developing a piece of the backpack. 

The focus of the project became the canaopy feature of the chair that would be capable of fully compressing as well as opening up to cover a lot of area. Immediately diving into research about large structures being able to condense, the scissor structure was a design that stood out. This simple structure, most people are familiar with appeared fairly simple and would allow for a lot of room for revision. 

Although the scissor structure seemed simple, it became evident that it was a signifcantly more complex structure. Using the 3D modeling software Rhino simple scissor structures were laser cut at first. This allowed for a bettter hands on understanding of what the most simplistic version of the structure entailed. These simple versions of scissor structures were relatively cookie cutter. Every piece we cut was the same size with no differentiation. Changing the symmetry became the next focus after exploring the most basic scissor structure design that was printed via the laser cutter. 

Once pieces were printed of different lengths and hole placement variations the scissor structure did transform slightly. The structure now had the capabilities of expanding on the x and y axis. This was an accomplishment but the arching feature of the canopy needed to be implemented. 

This became a real challenge; creating curvature of the scissor structure seemed like a big bump in the road. After more research, the children's toy, the Hoberman sphere, seemed like it would serve as a good inspiration in developing a joint to create the arch the canopy needed. 

After experimenting with the Hoberman sphere hands on, new ideas about creating a connecting joint started to flow. Using the Rhino software we added cut outs into the original pieces to have them connect a vertical and horizontal piece. The problem with this design was the limited capabilities these pieces allowed. It was an immediate transtition from vertical to horizontal whcih did not create the desired curvature. 

A new piece had to be created to obtain this curvature we were looking for. Developing joints in Rhino to be 3D printed was the next goal. The design of these joints were spheres with slots within them that would allow for almost a full range of movement within the designated slots. Following the actual 3D printing of the object, it became evident the joint itself was covering too much area and was simply too big. The design was then scaled down and despite having most of the capabilities necessary it was still limiting in regards to compacting the strucutre. 

After multiple times of trial and error with both making sure the sticks were just right, as well as adjusting the 3D printed sphere model a final design was created.  The joint created in the end was a 3D printed x like shape with holes on the end to allow for numerous connections. This structure ended up working because it was small enough that it would condense when the scissor structure condensed and it allowed for the curvature necessary in creating our canopy. This design would be perfect for our backpack and perfect in eventually assisting students with working while enjoying the outdoors. 

*Note pictures are from oldest to latest*                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Brainstorming                                                                                        

The first thing I did was think of what I wanted the chair to do. Originally I wanted it to be completely enclosed, for one person AND foldable. I soon found out that the completely enclosed and foldable part did NOT go together at all. So, I ended up completely changing the approach to something more realistic. Sticking to the enclosed Idea I came up with the idea of a canopy.

Starting To build

Once I came up with what I wanted to do I started working on actually building it. Since I didnt really know much about architecture and making chairs fold I cut out a bunch of "building blocks" and started to work. I eventually came up with prototype 1 (first two pictures) It was extremely simple, folded, was for one person, and of course, was a chair.

Larger Scale

Once i got my little idea physically there I decided to go a bit bigger to a 1/4 scale, and actually build the canopy part. The second version was bigger, used a similair layout, (third/fourth photo) and had a little canopy thing.

Cleaning Up

Once I had my canopy done and most of everything the prototype needed to do was done, I started cutting out new pieces that didnt have any extra holes to make it look cleaner.(picture 5-6) Unfortunately I was never able to make it on a bigger scale due to lack of equipment so sorry to anyone who might have wanted to see that.

Our goal of this studio was to create a product that provides a variety of personal space. The initial idea evolved from a circle to an oval. We made prototypes from paper to plastic to wood. We also wanted the seats to be interlocking so we brainstormed connecting mechanisms to see how the split seats would fit together. We lasercut a to-scale person to demonstrate how the split seat could be used. In our next prototype, we smoothed two right angle into curves, in order to create a more comfortable space. A conflict we encountered was that the two seats only connected at a perpendicular angle given the initial teeth placement we had. To solve this problem, we made interlocking slots along each side except the curves. This allowed the two chairs to connect at many new ways then they previously could.

We decided to use wooden planks as support and a bed for the person to lay against. Although the planks were not next to one another, we would have a plastic covering to be more comfortable than wood and prevent anything from falling onto the individual laying in the lower bunk. The plastic would also act as a support and bed for the person. To increase stability throughout the entire seat, we added vertical planks to give support for the person’s head. In our last prototype we had shorter planks on the top seat and wider planks on the bottom. This added variation to the seat, but with the plastic along the entire seat, stability would remain the same anywhere. This was our final design for Split Seat. 

The "CollapsableChair" is a small 1/4 scale chair that was built for personal space. Its functions-

1.It can be easily folded.

2.Has a place to put a canopy

3.Built for one person.

4.Can easily put a cloth or whatever on tothe canopy and then take it off.

The original idea was a chair that was completely enclosed could fold into itself and was for one person. The first two functions (enclosed and foldable) do NOT work together, so I had to change the approach completely to fit the realistic goal. In the end I came up with a quarter scale chair that did what it was supposed to do!

The unique design of this chair allows the user to have their own personal space while also having the feeling that they are not completely disconnected from the rest of the world. Our chair has a feature of privacy on both of the arm rests where there is a shade inside both of them that gives the user the option to be either completely visible or hidden just by pulling on a string which will either extend or retract the shade.

Our design of creating a box chair came from seeing different designs of chairs that already exist and combining multiple models into one chair. However, we had tried to create a spherical chair that had a pull down feature that acted as a bubble for complete privacy. Soon enough, we learned from our 3D printed prototype that this would not suffice as a full scaled model. We needed to create a design with more support so it would be able to hold more weight than the spherical model.

We had a few challenges in the process in making this chair. However, our most difficult challenge that we overcame was completely redesigning the spherical chair into the box chair and producing a 3D model of the chair but at a smaller scale  out of materials that we laser cut and were able to produce this second model with less than a weeks worth of time.

The chair is made out of two “S” or “5” shaped figures that acts as the base and frame of the chair. The armrests have a retractable shade within each one that providing an adjustable privacy shade for the user should they need to sleep before a flight or if they needed to get some work done in the library before going back to their homes.

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.

This is Split Seat. It offers both private and public space. The top bunk resembles the public parts and the bottom bunk allows more seclusion. Split Seat can be placed anywhere from a city park, the library, or in a playground. It can be interlocked with the seats ontop of each other or as a singular seat. Split seat can be a place for people to mingle, hang out, relax, sleep, and more.

Our idea was to create a piece of furniture that defines personal space. We decided that a multiple paneled design would proide different types of seating with some sort of shelter or privacy component. We hoped that this design would offer a more versatile seating option for any environment that could be customized as necessary.

We modeled our project off of the Jacob's Ladder toy. This toy conssits of multiple wooden panels with ribbon woven between them. The ribbon allows the panels to flip both ways without breaking the hinge. We appreciated the versatility of an object that can transform into different shapes.

After making a Jacob's Ladder toy, we realized that the flipping mechanism that we were basing our idea off of was better suited for a screen rather than a piece of furniture. From here, we focused on testing materials that would support the weight of a screen that would, in it's actual height, reach over six feet and flip back and forth.

The first flipping mechanism that we tried consisted of rubber bands that stretched across many panels. Unfortunately, rubber bands did not work because they were not strong enough and snapped easily. Next we tried plastic strips which is what we used in our final prototype.

On one of our prototypes, we explored the idea of having a design on the screen that would be aesthetically pleasing, allow light to pass through, and allow for different combinations of the screen panels. This pattern does not appear on our final version, but we invision the screen having a unique design if we were to produce this product commercially. It would also make the screen lighter and, therefore, easier to maneuver.

Our final prototype consists of three panels, spray painted black, that flip like the Jacob's Ladder. As more panels that are added, more configurations are possible. If we were to produce this item on a full scale, we would not be able to use plastic strips as seen in our final prototype. We created a 3D model of our screen at its actual size in Rhino. This screen uses metal hinges rather than plastic ones, which are much stronger.

        "The Expandable Backpack"  is a multifunctional backpack designed for the modern day student. "The Expandable Backpack" can not only be a student's traditional backpack but it can also pull out into a chair for those beautiful spring days when students decide to study outside. The bottom of the chair is a mat that can be rolled out from the bottom of the backpack. This provides the student a cushion from the hard ground while also keeping them dry in those cases of wet grass. Out of the top of the backpack comes an overhead pullout canopy that would not only protect students from the sun, but also provide their computer screen with shade making it easier to see. 

        The idea behind the canopy structure was to create a way for the structure to extend on multiple planes and also be able to refold back into a compact piece that would be able to fit into the top of a backpack. The structure took the whole two weeks of the studio to create but it was a sucess. The canopy uses a variation of the widley used and well known scissor strucutre along with different 3D printed connecting pieces that were built using rhino.