Furniture Build Project

Modern Podium Design

Students in the Fall Semester 2021 Build were tasked to create two unique furniture pieces for different departments of Winona State University; a podium for Admissions and a chair for the College of Science and Engineering. Both of these were created with the intent to showcase the capabilities and skillset of our student body here at WSU and the Composite Engineering Department.

Due to extenuating cirumstances, only one project was able to be completed within the time limitations of one semester, and the Chair for the Science & Enginnering Department was not completed save for the base structure. The podium for Winona State University Admissions was the selected project that was completed.

The project was comprised of three main components: the Interview, the Design, and the Build.

THE INTERVIEW

To produce the desired product, the students need to understand the client’s needs and wants. In preparation, the students brainstorm and come up with questions to ask their client regarding the form and function of the piece. Depending on if the client has a preconceived product in mind or not, the students determine how many questions to ask, what kind of questions to ask, and the direction of the interview process. After conducting the interview, students reevaluate and narrow down the direction of the furniture and features from there.

Moving into the specifications of the admissions podium project, the students conducted an interview with the admissions team to gain an understanding of what their vision was for the podium. The team specified that the podium would be placed in the admissions conference room, where prospective students will first be exposed to the culture and mission of Winona State. The podium is the centerpiece of the conference room that grabs the attention of the audience. The client stated a modern feel that would adapt to the future of the room as renovations were in the plans for the future. The students started with big picture questions, then moved into the detailed questions such as texture, curvature, color palette, functionality, and form. The answers to these questions gave the students a direction to start brainstorming and constructing three dimensional prototypes for further collaboration and approval from the client. After approval was given from the client, the students began to start the design phase.

THE DESIGN

Students incorporated design concerns from the interview process to brainstorm three prototypes that were virtually rendered and 3D printed. These prototypes were reintroduced with clients to get their approval for final design.

During the design process, students analyze the results from the interview and brainstorming process. Combining different attributes and features, three prototypes are drafted after collaboration from all the students. The design major sketches out three prototypes based on the must-have features and functions determined in the brainstorming phase, and from there the prototypes are then built on the CAD program by the engineering students. After the group approves the designs, the designs are printed on a 3D printer and then painted with the recommended colors.

THE BUILD

Students had the opportunity to work with different chemicals and manufacturing processes they had no previous experience with. Resins, Fiber Glass, Carbon Weave, and many more materials were utilized in the final build of their projects.

Hand layup was used to create flat sandwich panels for the shelves and a curved plate was used to generate the curved side laminates. All panel deflections and strengths were calculated using laminate theory. Panels were assembled using wooden dowels, 3D printed supports, and an overlay of thin fiberglass created a strong slip joint to hold the panels together.