2011 | Student Work | Western Washington University
Visually and practically lightweight
The goal of this student project was to build a full scale prototype privacy screen. This was to be a one-off, not intended for mass production.
I began by considering my approach to this problem. The only requirement of a privacy screen is to take up visual space, and this can be accomplished with any material or shape. I decided to impose my own additional criteria on the problem. The screen must be lightweight, able to be easily moved by one person, allow light to pass through it, and be composed of neutrally colored materials.
I researched various types of room dividers, from the traditional Japanese shoji screen, to more modern interpretations. I gravitated toward the images that displayed a mechanical complexity, and utilized repeated forms to create shape and mass.
The initial sketches were focused on different implementations of a flexible fabric with structural elements. Based on feedback and discussion, the concepts were simplified into a more cohesive shape, with the structure contained within the fabric. It was during this stage it became clear that there was another construction archetype to investigate, aviation.
The next round of sketching focused primarily on the form of the interior structure, and how each piece would be attached. Many of these forms are based on those found in early aircraft, and abstracted into an idealized shape.
Low weight, large area, and minimal structure led me to consider sailing ships. Using fabric would allow all of the requirements to be met, and would combine well with the elements that were intriguing from the research images.
The end caps for the final screen were cnc cut from aluminum. The edges of the aluminum were polished to a high gloss, while the surface was sanded and smoothed to an even matte luster. The screen interior was constructed from MDF that was cnc router cut into shape. The pieces were slotted together, and then glued.
I visited the Boeing Museum of Flight, and also an aircraft restoration center at Payne Field. I was able to take photographs at both locations, and generated a large volume of reference material. Early airplanes were created with a wooden frame, and canvas tensioned over the structure. This was an accessible construction method for creating my own form, and I was able to adapt some of the same techniques.
Small 1/5 scale models were made to investigate the most promising shapes generated from sketching.
More small-scale tests were done in order to validate different materials for the covering and structure.
Full scale models were created, these were approximately 5' tall by 4' wide. The first model was made to test different layouts for the number of internal divisions, both horizontally and vertically, and also the number of circular cutouts on the end caps. These cutouts were represented with black paper affixed to the end, so they could be quickly changed and modified to evaluate the visual impact. The second was a full scale test of material, fastening methods, and adhesives.
