Student Project 2023
British Columbia Lounge Chair
This was an individual project that placed focus on something unique to each of us, our memories.
In this project, we were challenged to design an object that leverages the form, functionality, color, material and finish that captures the essence of a given memory. This object would act as a totem -- a reference point -- to bring us back to the place that our memory was created.
We were then to use this object as the subject matter in the creation of a set of documents to communicate design intent, targeted materials and manufacturing processes, and CMF considerations.
Mom
Grandpa Dahl
Memory
Family Ties to British Columbia
My mothers parents left their farm in central Canada to move to the West Coast in the 1950’s. This journey was one fragment in a larger movement of post-war optimism and the promise of a bright future.
Over the decades, as my mother faced unforeseen challenges in her life in the United States, she would return to the Canadian coast to find refuge and a sense of home. It is in the rugged and serene landscape, juxtaposed against downtown Vancouver, that she felt most herself.
This project aims to design within the sense of refuge she found there. Additionally, it aims to build off of the aesthetic tradition of mid-century design along the coastline of British Columbia.
Big Leaf Maple
850 lbf
Materials
Native Hardwood to British Columbia
Paper Birch
910 lbf
Garry Oak
1,640 lbf
Materials
Garry Oak
Among the hardwood native to British Columbia, Garry Oak stands apart in it’s significance. The species grows along select pockets of the Pacific Northwest, stretching up into Vancouver Island. Coupled with it’s great material properties, this vernacular context makes it a choice selection for the project.
Upholstery
BC Pine Trees
While pine may not be suitable for a durable furniture piece, it served as a nice precedent in terms of CMF selection of upholstery.
Specifically, color was used to create a sense of balance and harmony. The idea is to allow the bright color to stand out, but not overwhelm, and to speak on the vibrant and tactile nature of the pine covered ridgelines of British Columbia.
Form Development
The form of the chair is intended to fit well within the aesthetic tradition of Mid-Century art & architecture in Western Canada. The work of architect Ron Thom, in particular, acted as a guide in making these form choices.
Design Outcome
Iteration
Fabrication Strategy
01
The raw Garry Oak is milled from rough lumber into square stock on the jointer and planer.
02
Contour shapes are cut from the square stock on the bandsaw, using a laser cut piece of MDF as a guide.
03
All edges of the frame are treated on the router table using a ½” radius bit.
04
Joints are held together by gluing a domino into corresponding slots on each workpiece.
