story of a chair
DESCRIPTION
Libraries are community centers that can help promote sustainable neighborhoods.TRANSCRIPT
Story of a Chair
A teachable moment at Cleveland Public Library in the Brooklyn Centre neighborhood
of Cleveland
When Cleveland Public Library received new chairs for the branch—it provided a chance to demonstrate how design can promote REDUCE,
REUSE, RECYCLE
The chairs arrived during Architecture Month in Cleveland—April 2011
The manufacturer specifically designed the packaging for reuse—the challenge was getting 2nd grade students to understand how the package design
promoted reuse. We watched a short film produced by the Laurel School.
We challenged the boys versus the girls to come up with the least amount of steps to repackage a chair for reuse/recycle-girls formed a circle and choose an
architect and a builder. The boys deliberated a bit longer.
Groups shared their ideas on the steps involved
Two different approaches
Box included straps, base and side walls—both sides understood that base was on the
bottom.
Girls put straps down before the base
Whoops…what do we do with the straps??
Both teams used problem solving to reduce the material and labor needed to repackage the chair—both architects explained their process
Students realized the need for REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE in their daily lives.