Sarah Dowley

The challenge was to create a seat for a secondary school reading room. A space used in a variety of ways including a place for students to practise their reading one-on-one with an adult volunteer; a private space for a meeting by staff supporting a student academically or emotionally; and the schools careers adviser regularly uses the space for meetings to help guide student choices about their future studies.

The design was inspired by the organic form and limited materials used in 'The Slide Chair'  by Mathias Bengtsson in 1999. 

The geometric hexagon shape, combined playfully with the spherical inner seat, fits the post-modern design principles of exploring complex forms. The sides of the chair enclose the sitter, giving a feeling of security and comfort when reading independently. The ball, by nature a playful object, provides a sportive place to sit. While playing with the shape during the modelling process, I enjoyed the way the shapes tessellated together and the angle at which they faced when joined; it gives a conspiratorial angle, where the sitters are turned toward each other but not face to face. The adjacent position is ideal for students to feel comfortable when having personal conversations. 

I find the process of using computer-aided design and CNC to manufacture this chair intriguing. Equally, the materials (plywood frame and Butyl rubber recycled inner tubes) would lend themselves well to the situation the chair is designed for; these are affordable, easily available materials that could be used in mass production, making it a viable option to fit within a school's budget. Whilst researching materials I discovered bicycle inner tubes and chewing gum are made from the same rubber, A fun fact to give gum-chewing teenagers!