Engineering Class Shares Cardboard Chair Designs

Kelly Clark’s Principles of Engineering and Design class displayed their cardboard chair creations for members of the Hawken community this afternoon. The cardboard chair project is one of a number of hands-on projects for the class that asks students to come up with product designs within certain specified constraints. For this particular project, students were tasked with designing and building the chairs using just two sheets of corrugated cardboard and Elmers glue. As with most projects for the class, students began by brainstorming ideas before moving on to the design and construction phase. After brainstorming, each student was required to submit three potential designs and create miniature models of those designs using manila folders. They then paired up with another student to choose a final design and create the actual cardboard chairs. In the final evaluation phase, teachers and students were invited to evaluate the chairs based on comfort and ergonomics; economy, simplicity, and design; and structural integrity and craftsmanship. While the chairs offered varying degrees of comfort and aesthetics, all were apparently structurally sound enough to withstand the weight of those who dared to test them.