UNIT VII: Structure

OBJECTIVE: To introduce structural design principles as applied to three-dimensional problem solving. To explore the possibilities inherent in working within strict material and process limitations. To draw connections between design professions such as architectural engineering and industrial design and the three-dimensional art and design.

GOAL: Using a single 4’ x 8’ sheet of cardboard, design and build a chair that will support your body weight no less than 16 inches off the ground. Use no glue or tape.

PROJECT: In the comfort of giants

PROCESS:

1. Choose a song or poem to serve as inspiration for your chair. Architecture is often called frozen music, but music is never called liquid architecture.
2. Start using sketches and paper to make 10 models. Use paper sheets 5.5” x 11”, roughly 1/9 scale. (Due: 15 April 2010)
3. Choose two and move up to ¼ scale using chipboard, 1’ x 2’. Which one makes more sense with your song or poem? (Due: 20 April 2010)
4. Begin working full scale. Consider ergonomics. Be sure to test out your chair for structural strength. You have 2 sheets of cardboard, one to prototype with, and one for the final.
5. Finish your chair (Color? Texture? Surface? Do not think of your chair as a blank canvas. Finish your chair in a uniform way that makes sense with your design. Do not "paint" on it. Don't put words on it either.)
6. You will need to sit in your chair for the entire review. Bring your song or poem to class on a thumbdrive or CD.

READING: Launching the Imagination Chapter 6

The Power of Limits - For reference on harmonics / ratios

VOCABULARY: structure, compression, tension, expansion, contraction, loading, cantilever, centenary curve, moment, form follows function, honeycomb, rib, skin, parameter, limitation, displacement, modeling, torque, solidification, armature, bend, buttress, skeleton

REFERENCES: Frank Gehry, Alvar Aalto, Charles and Ray Eames, Wedell Castle, George Nakashima, Sam Maloof, Herman Miller

MATERIALS: Paper, Cardboard, Matte Knives, Straight Edge

EXTRA CREDIT: Make your chair from one sheet of cardboard without removing any pieces, just cuts and folds - produce no waste. 1pt. Alternatively, make a rocking chair. 1pt. Please note: your chair must be structurally sound and not collapse to receive extra credit points.

CARDBOARD CHAIRS DUE: 29 April 2010

SKETCHBOOKS DUE: 27 April 2010

FINISHED (PAINTED/FLOCKED/COLORED/PATTERNED) CHAIRS FINAL CRIT: 4 May 2010

NOTES: Additional cardboard available at:

Discount Package Supply

2415 S Roosevelt St

Tempe, AZ

(480) 921-0707

DISCUSSION

The idea of relating the form of an object to its function poses special challenges for the artist and designer. How can one generate aesthetic forms that not only respect the limits and potentials of materials but engage real physical forces?

Industrial designers, architects, and structural engineers are adept at balancing the functional requirements of a given product with its formal resolution. The architect Louis Sullivan is credited with the phrase "form follows function"--a dictum that speaks to the intimate connection between the formal properties of an object and its practical function. Think of an airplane wing. The elegance of its design is also an expression of clear functional requirements. The characteristic profile of an airfoil is designed first and foremost to generate the lift necessary for flight: it is meant to perform real work. Not incidentally, it is also an elegant form.

Artists and designers often are found to work in the reverse using a process that could be characterized as "function follows form." Working intuitively using formal means to solve functional requirements is a legitimate and creative approach to art and design. Often, the initial impulse for a given project is not the result of a calculation or statistic, but more an intuitive response to a physical need or circumstance.

Form and function are impacted to an enormous degeree by the palette of available materials. It is not always possible to have the materials or other resources needed to approach a given project in the most effective or efficient manner. As "necessity is the mother of invention," sometimes the most creative problem solving is born of having to work within limited means or strict parameters.

Traditional peoples often work out of necessity within very strict parameters with a limited palette of materials. The Anasazi Indians, who inhabited the four corners region of the American southwest from approximately 750 AD - 1200 AD, were notable for their beautiful yet functionally appropriate responses to local conditions. Using available materials such as stone and cedar logs, and yucca fibers, the Anasazi (a Navajo word meaning, literally, "the ancient ones"), constructed cliff dwellings of astonishing complexity that not only were sophisticated as architectural forms but took advantage of passive solar techniques and the natural landscape.

Even in an age with seemingly infinite resources, there are compelling reasons beyond cost and efficiency to work within tight design requirements. As our population increases and non-renewable resources are depleted, environmentally responsible design is more important than ever. "Green Design" means designing in such a way that the environmental cost of an object is taken into account--including the resources necessary to produce the object, its marketing and packaging, and its ultimate potential for recycling or repurposing. Consider the way in which "fast food" is packaged. Simply by replacing sytrofoam packaging with biodegradable products such as paper and cardboard, huge environmental savings are realized.

Finding the appropriate balance of form and function may well determine our ability to sustain a healthly relationship to the planet.

~ Dan Collins