Adaptive Design and our local partnerships
Jun 28, 2016
A cardboard chair in progress, with clamps holding together the parts while the glue dries.
Lauren Froschauer (Olin ‘16) was part of Investigating Normal in its spring 2015 class, during which Adaptive Design Association (ADA) director Alex Truesdell came to campus to introduce students to the wonders of cardboard carpentry. The ADA is an offshoot of Perkins School for the Blind; both organizations have been building free, customized furniture for decades. (Read more about our lab’s practice as a satellite site for ADA work here.)
A screenshot of the ADA web site, with its many example projects and big gallery of design ideas.
Lauren took an intensive workshop at ADA in New York and subsequently trained students at Olin. She also did an independent study at Perkins with Molly Campbell, who runs the Assistive Device Center there. She blogged about her experiences, and we’re happy to say that she’s built a relationship with a local elementary school near Olin as a partnership for co-designing these devices in our community. Below are some images from Lauren’s research; a report is coming soon. See her site here.
A hand drawn sketch plan for an adult-size cardboard chair.
Lauren made a number of edits on photos to show her progress as she learned basic techniques, like scoring and folding in the right direction to maximize the strength of the cardboard’s internal flute structure.
More directions for learners, including how to remove layers for making inside folds on a chair design
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Lauren shows a chair-in-progress—using the cardboard’s most robust structure and good folds and joinery for a strong design.