Resilient Furniture Design

Work thumb

Views: 680

All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2018, Common Ground Research Networks, All Rights Reserved

Abstract

This research investigates alternative design solutions of furniture capable of mitigating a comprehensive scope of impacts related to the risk of natural disasters. With natural disasters anticipated to increase in both severity and regularity, creative strategies are needed to address the collective escalation of physical and emotional vulnerability. As children are particularly susceptible to these impacts, the central research question queries: How might furniture effectively function to mitigate the physical threat of earthquakes and aid in facilitating earthquake-related resilience within the context of New Zealand’s primary schools? The research and subsequent design development outlined in this article was undertaken within a research-through-design approach inclusive of qualitative and ethnographic research methodologies. The outcome of this research, an innovative classroom table, exemplifies the application of alternative functions and technologies in the design of contemporary furniture. In addressing a need that has received minimal prior development, this research highlights furniture design’s ability to respond with agility to a multitude of contextual issues. As earthquakes and other natural disasters escalate and pose threats at a global scale, the topic and proposed outcome of this research is relevant and applicable across all seismically active regions in the world.