FLATPACK
Effortless Assembly Angular Design Slim Storage
Challenge:
In teams of two, design a desk chair from 1/3 of a sheet of oriented strand board. It must be an inventive design that can fit into a 1” thick package and easy for the consumer to assemble.
Research
My partner Giovanni Procaccini and I researched other existing flatpack chairs. We figured there were many ways to solve this design challenge and we wanted to see what other people have created to help guide our design.
We then researched regular desk chairs. If we were to create one, we wanted to know the critical features of making one. We also looked at out-of-the-box solutions for chairs to see if we could incorporate those features into our desk chair.
We noticed:
Armrests
Lumbar support
Wheels
Adjustable seat
Mesh
We aimed for:
Armrests
Lumbar support
No extra hardware
Sketches
Prototypes
Nathaniel Ivill-Weiner
Prototype 1
Four separate pieces that slide together. The backrest is able to angle to the user’s preference.
Prototype 2
Prototype 4
Prototype 7
Prototype 10
DXF Cut File
For our first prototypes, we decided to work separately so that we might have more design elements to chose from.
Giovanni Procaccini
Prototype 1
“Z” chair made from the whole piece of OSB. Using the natural offcuts as supports.
After creating the first prototypes by hand, we were laser cutter certified. We used fusion to create our flatpack layout, but we did not know if they fit like we wanted to in a 3D plane. Angular features between both come together using the outer legs from my prototype and the “Z” shape from Giovanni’s. Use the backrest as a study trunk for the floorplate, seat, and legs to connect to.
Between 2 and 4 was a prototype to check measurements. This model takes Prototype 2 and gives it more of an angular design language. The seat and base plate relate to the backrest, inside, and outside leg. The pieces connect by sliding and fitting into each other. The connection between the backrest, inside leg, and the seat is more thought out, with a lip on the seat that sits on the inside leg for support. The biggest problem in this model was that the weight distribution was too centered, causing the chair to rock.
Again, the prototypes between 4 and 7 were measurement and placement calculations. In this design, we moved from a baseplate, which changed how we built our chair. The backrest and middle leg are split into two pieces to angle backward. The outside legs pointed forward, to help the rocking issue. We added a footrest that also acted as a support between the three legs. The backrest increased in size to reflect a traditional desk chair. The legs, footrest, and backrest were given more thought and took on more of the triangular form of our chair.
This final prototype addressed the issue of the footrest not being strong enough to support a person's constant stress, being that it is OSB. We moved it closer to the seat and attached it to the inside so that it was hidden. We further considered attaching all these pieces to the seat with specific slots for each leg. The backrest needed to be stronger than attaching it to just the seat, so we made it slide through the seat and into the leg support. It also strengthens the connection when pressure is put on it, driving it into the front legs. The back leg was given a fishtail-like shape to help with side-to-side wobble. Extra material was used to make brackets for each leg and the backrest to ensure a sturdy chair.
