The project selected was an investigation into office fu rniture from an industrial producer/consumer angle.The first stage took the form of an investigation into the needs of an office system in a modern office situation involving interviews with office users, the reading of research articles on ergonomics and office needs and then correlating these with knowledge of production and distribution pro· cesses in order to reach a solution acceptable to all concerned

Bee, P. M.

Evans, J. S.

Naylor, B.

English

Loughborough University Library: Open Journals

Bath Chairs" Bureaux and BirdsP.M. Beer J.S. Evans and B. NaylorLoughborough College of EducationAn Aspect of Office Furniture byP.M. BeeThe project selected was an investigationinto office fu rniture from an industrialproducer/consumer angle.The first stage took the form of aninvestigation into the needs of an officesystem in a modern office situation involvinginterviews with office users, the reading ofresearch articles on ergonomics and officeneeds and then correlating these with know-ledge of production and distribution pro·cesses in order to reach a solution acceptableto all concerned. Having had experience inassembly and delivery of such equipment Iformulated my own ideas for the basicsystem which are laid down as follows:-1) In order to reduce manufacturers assembly time and to ease transport prob-lems the system should be K-D. KnockDown.2) To minimise production costs inter-changeability of components is neces-sary using only simple constructions andminimal parts.3) Ease of mobility and adaptability in theoffice situation is vital.4) A given "atmosphere" must be sug-gested by the furniture to reflect thevalues of the users in order that they donot become alientated.Considering the above, the desk illus-trated was evolved which fulfils all require-ments whilst adding aesthetic qualities to thewhole. Colour is used on the large areas tocreate the desired image; for instance, vividcolouring would give a "trendy atmosphere"whereas sombre tones present an air ofgrace. The surfaces must be tough in orderto withstand the heavy usage and is sug-gested that they be resin coated in produc·tion with a vinyl working surface.The drawer units are modular, inter·changeable and mobile thereby catering forthe various users requirements and alsodoubling up as filing cabinets, storagedrawers, etc. It was this part of the systemwhich created most problems both in designand construction as mass production techni-ques, which were unavailable to me, wererequired. My eventual solution necessitatedthat the units be low pressure moulded usingpolyurethane foam and as such facilitieswere beyond my means these remained inmock-up rather than prototype form. Assess·ing the project in terms of the designproblem I feel that I have achieved what, ifcommercially produced, would be a greatimprovement in the field of low-cost officefurniture.A visit to an old people's home or geriatricunit of any hospital highlights the need for awell designed chair to suit the individualneeds of the aged. For those suffering' fromsuch ailments as arthritis or similar disabili-ties chair comfort is essential. Geriatrics haveparticular problems in rising out of chairsand the brief design project was to design achair to su it the individual ergonomic reoquirements of geriatrics and to develop somemethod of aiding its incumbents when risingout of the chair.To determine the individual comfortneeds of disabled geriatrics an anthropo-metric jig was designed and developed fromthe advice given by members of the Ergono-mics Department at Loughborough Univer-sity of Technology. The jig was used torecord the relative positions of the lumbar,shoulder and neck of a seated geriatric, aswell as seat height, depth, arm height andlength. Ergonomic data was gathered fromeighteen individuals (ages ranging from 62 -75 years) at two research centres, namely,Leicester Royal Infirmary, and the Ortho-p;Jedic Hospital, Gobowen, Oswestry. Thedata showed that standardisation was impos-sible; that is the overall design must incor-porate some form of adjustment. Forexample from the recording of the backmeasurements it was possible to determine aback profile for the chair which required 2"horizontal and some vertical adjustment atthe lumbar, shoulder and neck positions.Similarly seat height for some was 18"whereas others required 19%" for maximumcomfort.To assist a person in rising from a chair itwas decided to consider a tip-up seat action.A review of various tip-up seats was under-taken and visits to manufacturers and oldpeople's homes highlighted the inadequacyof such chairs. Their shortcomings laybasically in the fact that the chairs used aspring loaded mechanism which relied on aperson's body weight for reloading and as aresult, at the extremes (i.e. heavy andlightweight individuals). the spring wasfound to be either too strong or too weak. Asystem was required which could be easilyoperated by the patient; this it seemedwould only be achieved by introducing anadequate power source within a pneumaticor hydraulic system. Various power plantswere tested, ranging from a circulating pumpto a small compressor attachment for aportable drill. Their main disadvantages wereeither excessive noise properties or inferiorpower potential. However when a refrigera-tor compressor was tested it conformed toboth criteria, i.e. silence and strength, andwas eventually used in the overall design.Apart from the power source, the tip-upseat presented another problem, that of theaction or locus of the seat. This problem wasovercome by taking a series of photographsof a person from the seated to the standingposition. From the photographs it was clearthat a fixed centre pivot action would notsupport the thighs and the person wouldexperience a tendency to slide off the seatwhen being raised. The seat action had tostimulate the leg action and the seat had tobe designed to lift, not only at the back, butalso at the front. This was achieved byincorporating a 'scissors' action beneath theseat.Safety was another important aspect, anda seat which operated separately from thearms afforded dangerous finger traps. Theseat and arms therefore had to be envisagedas one whole unit so as the seat raised so didthe arms.The overall design was to some extentdictated by the aforementioned factors, andthe completed design had to incorporate theergonomic, mechanical and aesthetic criteria.What was required was a chair which offeredits incumbents the homeliness of a firesidechair not the cold precision of a piece ofmechanical engineering and with this inmind wood was chosen for the main struc-ture of the chair. It offered the psycho-logical warmth and invitation essential infurniture designed specifically for theelderly, as well as the qualities of laminationnecessary for the profile of the chair back.The chair was upholstered using thecorrect foam rubber as recommended byDunlopillo and covered in a 'Sanitized'Dralon material which offered hard wearingqualities essential for the old and infirmedwho will be using the chair.When the chair was finally completed itwas taken to Thorpe House in Lough-borough where some of the old folk tested itout. Initially, they were reluctant to tryoutthe chair because of its mechanical pro-perties, but eventually, once it had passedthrough its first test by an old dear of 92years of age many others tested it out. Thechair, after a morning's trial period, seemedto offer its incumbents both the ergonomicand mechanical properties necessary in ageriatric chair.It became evident in July 1973 that live-stock kept by the children of St. Bartholo-mews Junior School, Quorn, Leicestershire,as part of a comprehensive educationalprogramme would need rehousing when theywere transferred with the children to a newopen plan complex on the opposite side ofthe village in September.Faced with this problem Mr. M.V. Mor-ton, Headmaster of the school, suggestedthat the pupils should be intimately involvedboth in the construction and utilisation ofsatisfactory breeding environments for cap-tive budgerigars, canaries, small foreign birdsand various rodents such as rabbits andguinea pigs.The housing of birds was given firstpriority. Research involving the circulationof a ten page avicultural survey to 100 birdbreeders in the Midlands followed by con-sultations at many private and commercialbreeding establishments reinforced withvaluable information gleaned from books,magazines and personal experience providedsufficient data to determine the primaryfunctional requirements of an aviary. Thesecondary functional problems posed by theuse of such a facility by young children werealso considered. This still left two majorobstacles, economic viability and the pro-duction of a simple structural system forchildren with few if any skills and tools.Uncertain future curricula demands and thepossible expansion or reduction of stockintroduced pre-conditions of flexibil ity andadaptabil ity within the design concepts.Two cedar wood sheds, 10' x 8' wereavailable but whilst suitable, with modifica-tions, for temporarily housing livestock dur-ing the winter, they would prove unsatisfac-tory for use all year round. They also lackedaesthetic merit when viewed in relation tothe environment in which they were placed.A modular system of flights was devisedto be used in conjunction with these orother sheds or in isolation as a completedesign solution. It was primarily a geo-metrically inspired design based on a cubewhich later developed into a diamondshaped prism. The use of this feature inexploratory models revealed an interestingvariety of possible combinations all of whichhad the potential of a satisfactory solutionwith both functional and aesthetic merit. Aone metre module was used but was latermodified to facil itate the use of 36" widerolls of wire which unfortunately were theonly ones currently available. Green, plastic-coated Twilweld wire was either %" x y," ory," xl" mesh was considered to be the mostsuitable for visual and protective require-ments although it proved in the short termless economically viable. Douglas Fir andBaltic Pine in 28 x 28 mm finished sectionwas chosen for constructing the supportingframe although it was found necessary toprotect both with a non-toxic wood finishsuch as Cuprinol. Protective coated fittingswere advocated to avoid oxidation andconsequent deterioration but these weredifficult to obtain. Clear wire reinforcedplastic was found to be the most suitablematerial available for covering exposed areasof the flight giving protection to the birdsduring periods of inclement weather andaffording security from attacks by cats andother predators.The flights were designed primarily forchildren to construct with a minimum ofsupervision but may also be suitable formany aviculturalists who cannot afford topurchase a commercial product and wouldprefer to construct their own even thoughtheir skills and experience are limited. Henceno complicated joints were used, merely theapplication of a process first devised for themanufacturing of modular roof trusses. Thisinvolves the butting together of pre-cutlengths of wood, held with water resistantplywood gussets nailed into position toproduce a set of modular frames without theuse of glue. These are then jointed togetherwith 6 mm coach bolts to form completeflights. It was necessary to design uncompli-cated jigs to ensure that the joints would besecured at the correct angle whilst nailedtogether in a horizontal position.Complete colour coded diagrams wereproduced to illustrate the position of ea'chmember in conjunction with assembly draw-ings, models and instruction sheets.A single diamond prism shaped prototypewas developed at Loughborough Collegewhich has been effectively tested forstrength and fu nctional efficiency with satis-factory results. Its aesthetic merit is subjectto personal evaluation and can only beadequately assessed when seen in the con-text of the natural environment in which itwill be placed. Proof of the systems adapta-bility can be found in the application of thissame prototype for keeping rabbits andguinea pigs, simply by laying the unit in ahorizontal position rather than in the pre-ferred vertical position for birds.The children of Quorn Junior Schoolshowed immense interest in this project andwere able to complete one of the proposedflights with little supervision. Few practicaldifficulties were experienced except wherethe placing of screws was necessary for theholding of brackets and other fittings.

Bath Chairs, Bureaux and Birds

https://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/SDEC/article/view/759/727

Bath Chairs, Bureaux and Birds

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