Graduation Project Document

GRADUATION PROJECT INSTITUTIONAL FURNITURE RANGE Sponsor : MADLAB, Bengaluru Volume : 1 of 1

STUDENT : SHUBHAM SINGHAI PROGRAMME : Bachelor of Design

GUIDE : MR. C.S. SUSANTH

2016 INDUSTRIAL DESIGN FACULTY (FURNITURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN)

National Institute of Design Ahmedabad

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Furniture and Interior Design | National Institute of Design | 2016

The Evaluation Jury recommends SHUBHAM SINGHAI for the Degree of the National Institute of Design IN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN (FURNITURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN)

herewith, for the project titled “INSTITUTIONAL FURNITURE RANGE” on fulfilling the further requirements by*

Chairman Members :

*Subsequent remarks regarding fulfilling the requirements :

Activity Chairperson, Education

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Copyright ©2016 Student Document publication meant for private circulation only.

All rights reserved.

Bachelor of Design, Furniture and Interior Design, 2012-2016 National Institute Of Design, Ahmedabad, India No part of this document will be reproduced or transmitted in any form or any means including photocopying, xerography, photography and videography recording without written permission from the publisher, Shubham Singhai and The National institute of Design.

All illustrations and photographs in this document are Copyright ©2016 by respective people/organizations.

Edited and designed by: Shubham Singhai 24shubham21@gmail.com Processed at: The National Institute of Design(NID) Paldi, Ahmedabad – 380007 Gujarat, India. www.nid.edu Digitally published in Ahmedabad, India November, 2016

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ORIGINALITY STATEMENT I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and it contains no full or substantial copy of previously published material, or it does not even contain substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or final graduation of any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in this graduation project. More over I also declare that none of the concepts are borrowed or copied without due acknowledgement. I further declare that the intellectual content of this graduation project is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project’s design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged. This graduation project (or part of it) was not and will not be submitted as assessed work in any other academic course.

Student Name in Full: Signature: Date:

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT I hereby grant the National Institute of Design the right to archive and to make available my graduation project/thesis/dissertation in whole or in part in the Institutes’s Knowledge Management Centre in all forms of media, now or hereafter known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act. I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my document or I have obtained permission to use copyright material.

Student Name in Full: Signature: Date:

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INSTITUTIONAL FURNITURE RANGE FOR TREVI Shubham Singhai | Graduation Project

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FOREWORD “It is not enough that we build products that function, that are understandable and usable, we also need to build products that bring joy and excitement, pleasure and fun, and, yes, beauty to people’s lives.” –Don Norman Design can be defined in innumerable manners. Factors such as aesthetics, functionality, production, cost-effectiveness etc. might weigh differently for each one of us. But design is undoubtedly an amalgam of them. It is a process which is incomplete if one misses out on extracting what they can from even one of these factors. Gone are the days, when xdesigners were a “want” and not a “need”, as today’s world is a design driven world. Design as a whole definitely overpowers just functional or just aesthetically pleasing solutions for that matter. For the world has moved to defining solutions that solve problems more than one.

A space is a complex interplay of a vast number of influencing factors that are physical, psychological, socio- cultural, economic and philosophical. Further becoming more meaningful when it engages itself with education. An institutional space embraces the aura of learning and experiencing. And furniture plays an important part in contributing to the comfort of any space including institutional spaces, as it can either bless one’s physical and mental self body or mess with it while it is trying to concentrate and absorb what is going on in the space.

This document is a compilation of all the efforts made during the final graduation project after studying furniture and interior design at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My heartfelt gratitude to the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad for the kind of exposure and experience no other institute in the country could provide.

To Mr. Ramesh Annapindi (Anna) for giving me an opportunity to work with MADLAB and for labouring to back my efforts by providing helpful inputs in making this project a success.

To Abdul Khader, Ayushi Jain, Medha Gupta, Kanika Meena, Komal Goyal, Neha Thawali, Sarvistha Yadav and Edwin Dylan Creado for their academic help and making these 6 months memorable.

To the 3D visualizers at MADLAB for bringing my sketches to life and helping me imagine them in the 3rd dimension.

To my guide, Mr. C S Susanth for his valuable inputs while working on the project and encouragement to open my eyes to new directions and possibilities.

To team in the NID workshops for assisting me in realizing the range of furniture designed during the course of the project and helping me produce thr final prototypes.

Lastly but most importantly, my family (Mr. Sudarshan Singhai, Mrs. Neelu Singhai and Soumya Singhai) and friends for their constant support and keeping me motivated throughout the project. This project wouldn’t have been a success without them being there.

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CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT

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CONTENTS

1:

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PG NO.19

INTRODUCTION About National Institute of Design | 20 About Furniture and Interior Design | 22 About Sponsor | 24 About Guide | 25 About Project | 26 Initial Project Brief | 27

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT The Process | 94 Classroom Furniture | 96 Library Furniture | 130 New Hostel Layout Development | 134 Hostel Furniture Development | 142 Branding and Identity | 152 PG NO.93

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USER ALIGNMENT STUDIES Collaborative Learning Methods | 30 Layout Analysis of Classrooms | 38 Business and Product Level Company Analysis | 43 Ergonomic Research and Anthropometric Data |64 Site Visit to Manipal University, Jaipur | 74 PG NO.85

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PG NO.29

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DESIGN BRIEF Introduction to Trevi | 86 Startegy to help Trevi monopolize | 87 Project Timeline | 90 Final Brief Development | 91

5:

PG NO.161

CONCLUSION Final Designs | 162 Technical Drawings | 174 Reflections | 182 Bibliography and Webliography | 184

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1: INTRODUCTION

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ABOUT NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DESIGN The establishment of NID was a result of several forces, both global and local. The late 1950s saw a confluence of these forces, and this time would be a significant one for Indian culture and education. This was a time of reappraisal and reconstruction in a newly independent India.

A young nation was confronted with the mammoth task of nation building, of balancing age old traditions with modern technology and ideas. The Modern Movement, the philosophy of Machine Aesthetics, and revolutionary experimentation in the arts, architecture and design were all taking place at the same time. There was a search for the Indian identity across all aspects of life.

Based on the recommendations made in the India Report, the Government of India with the assistance of the Ford Foundation and the Sarabhai family established the National Institute of Industrial Design, as it was originally called as an autonomous all-India body in September 1961 at Ahmedabad. Gautam Sarabhai and his sister Gira were played a major role in the establishment and early years of NID. Gautam Sarabhai sidestepped the accepted wisdom and conventional method of education . He revived the philosophy of the Bauhaus design movement which was learning by doing. This unique curriculum and revolutionary educational philosophy remain part of NID to the present day.

Today the National Institute of Design is internationally acclaimed as one of the finest educational and research institutions for Industrial, Communication, Textile and IT Integrated (Experiential) Design. It is an autonomous institution under the aegis of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. NID has been declared ‘Institution of National Importance’ by the Act of Parliament, by virtue of the National Institute of Design Act 2014.

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ABOUT FURNITURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN The Discipline of Furniture Design deals with the creation and evolution of objects, structures and systems at human scale that aim to improve the quality of life in the immediate living and working environment, while looking at sustainable and innovative use of diverse materials and processes. It believes in a broad and interdisciplinary attitude for enriching the design activity and draws from experiences of Industrial and Environmental Design professions. The Programme provides an integrated approach to the design of furniture and interior objects and systems as part of one’s living and working habitat, while striving to redefine the boundaries of such elements with a systems perspective.

The Furniture Design discipline encourages the students to develop a strong foundation of basics, which facilitates anticipation of the future. The programme aims to educate designers to handle all aspects of furniture design as one integrated user centric area of study; and their ability to integrate all such elements and systems into coherent wholes in various interior spatial contexts is considered to be important. Special emphasis is placed on the ability to develop self-made prototypes in order to test human and functional factors v/s aesthetics and use of materials.

Furthermore, the students are expected to attain an understanding of a body of theoretical and practical knowledge and are trained to carry out design processes as a part of a team as well as independently.

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ABOUT SPONSOR MADLAB is an Indian design and innovation firm with over 12 years of International experience.

We at MADLAB consider this to be our strength. While we live and understand India our expertise, work ethic and deliverables are competitive internationally.

What is unique about us? We consider our approach and dedication towards ‘quality of work’ sets us apart. To facilitate high quality work and proper interaction with our clients, we only work on 4 projects a year.

We believe INCUBATION time spent on a project is as important as PROCESS. As a matter of fact, we now know that our brain needs ‘time for connections’ when you demand AHA solutions.

This has been a common theme amongst all discoveries, inventions and great design solutions.

MADLAB is an interdisciplinary educational firm that not only iculcates design education in an individual but also promises to expose him/her to the industry. We, unlike many places, work in a co-working environment where each member participates and contribute to the discussions and thus assist in finding the perfect solution.

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ABOUT GUIDE Mr. Susanth C.S. is a faculty in the Industrial Design discipline. He graduated from NID in 1998 in Industrial Design; he specialised in Furniture Design. He started his career with NID’s Outreach Programmes and Consultancy Services in 1998 and joined as faculty member in the Furniture and Interior Design discipline in 2002.

Susanth has worked on many projects in the areas of school furniture, coir composite furniture, bamboo products, and with various craft clusters in different parts of India. One of his core areas of interest is bamboo and its applications. He also heads the NID Centre for Bamboo Initiatives.

He teaches in various disciplines, especially Design for Retail Experience and Furniture Design.

He takes courses such as Design Representation, Retail Furniture and Fixture, System Design, Packaging, Materials and Process, and Model Making.

He has participated in various national and international programmes such as the India Show in Ethiopia in May 2011 and AOTS-ENAI programme in Japan. He was an advisor at the International Design Workshop at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan and had participated at the toy design workshop held at London in November 2010 and October 2011.

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ABOUT PROJECT This study is a link in the ongoing search for the role of the systems metaphor with reference to one specific field, that is, institutional furniture design. The tools and manufacturing technology have made it possible to realize complex and technologically enabled furniture with ease in such spaces, capable of benefitting students since the time their minds are growing at an astonishing pace. Institutional spaces have a big hand in developing an individual’s overall personality and making them what they would be known for later. Such spaces help people explore their true self and make life-long decisions. These spaces definitely deserve to be as homely as they can be, in the literal sense. Because the first space one relates to “comfort� is home. Thus, there lies great scope in making them further learning-friendly. Apart from the structure, light, colours and other interior elements, furniture inside a space plays a major role in deciding how enjoyable it is. This document showcases efforts made towards achieving collaborative, smart, modern and comfortable educational spaces by studying emerging Indian scenario in the context of what has been happening in the world over the past few decades. It also throws light on the classroom furniture system and the scope of emerging Indian solutions being offered by various players in the market.

The project revolves around developing a range of institutional furniture for specific areas in an educational environment. It is apparent that these spaces must be built in a way that they encourage students to be more involved and excite them to be influenced by them.

In this study you would go through the consumer alignment studies, design thinking, concepts with mood boards and material board, sketches, final design, technical drawings in exact scale, 3D renders and pictures of scaled down prototypes of the final designs of the furniture. It also contains a part of the branding and layout exploration for a hostel room done for the client (TREVI) during the course of the project.

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INITIAL PROJECT BRIEF Designing a range of institutional furniture that can help Trevi become India’s leading furniture brand offering thoughtful/emotional solutions that consider life of students on campus and focus on collaborative learning methods.

1.

Best in Class Functionality 2.

Meaningful Designs 3. Well-priced 4.

Ergonomically Comfortable 5.

Aesthetically Unique

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2: USER ALIGNMENT STUDIES

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COLLABORATIVE LEARNING METHODS

What are classrooms?

A classroom is a learning space, a room where classes are held. The classroom attempts to provide a space where learning can take place uninterrupted by outside distractions. It demands an atmosphere that instils an energy to learn within the students. The classrooms for the longest have been following very similar layouts and teaching practices. The teacher takes control over the students, has a specific spot to lecture in the class, the students sit in rows or columns, one behind the other etc.

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This is an effort to turn teacherstudent relationship to a more flexible and interactive one.

The students rather than being scared of the teacher must be comfortable to approach them if the need be. Our classroom environment must take a step towards becoming homely and more comfortable to study in.

The discomfort takes away students’ attention and pushes them to involve in other activities.

Comfortable furniture helps boost the attention span of students.

The ancient concept of keeping the classroom furniture harsh so the students do not fall asleep needs to go out of consideration while designing for the new collaborative educational spaces.

These spaces need a leap of change. These spaces are made keeping in mind the comfort and control of the teacher but the students’ needs seem to have been neglected. We need to make them more students friendly.

Institutional furniture is expensive to replace every now and then, thus it should be designed in a way that a change, fold or removal of a part can make the classroom look like a completely new space and also encourage students to imbibe and learn.

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What are collaborative learning methods?

In the design of a classroom, desk arrangements are essential to the decor and design of the classroom followed by seating arrangements for the students.

Usually classroom desks are arranged in rows or columns, but there are many more ways to arrange the desks, for example making a circle with the desks so that it’s more of a group discussion or having the desks in a “U� shape for group discussions and easy access for the teacher. Also color helps the atmosphere be fun and exciting and help visual stimulation for the students.

Furniture is an important aspect because students spend most of their time seated in the classroom. The furniture should be able to move and easy to arrange to allow students to sit in places that are best suited for their learning styles. It should be visually and physically light or have castors that allow free movement within the classroom.

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What advantages do collaborative learning methods have?

The layout, design and decor of the classroom has a significant effect upon the quality of the educational experience and have advantages over traditional teaching techniques. Attention to the acoustics and colour scheme may reduce distractions and aid concentration. The lighting and furniture likewise influence factors such as student attention span. The final popular desk arrangement is the circle/semicircle placement.

This particular desk setup is growing in popularity due to the numerous positive outcomes it provides. The circle desk arrangement facilitates the flow of ideas by fostering positive group dynamics. When sitting in a circle it is easier for students to not only see who is talking, but to make eye contact with the speaker. Students sitting in a circle arrangement tend to feel more comfortable speaking up and asking questions. This style of desk placement also makes it easier for teachers to control the class, preventing misbehaving and off task comments as it allows them to easily see all the students, and allows all the students to see the teacher.

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Transformation of Indian classrooms to more collaborative spaces Most classrooms have a large writing surface where the instructor or students can share notes with other members of the class. Traditionally, this was in the form of a blackboard but these are becoming less common in well-equipped schools because of new alternatives like flipcharts, whiteboards and interactive whiteboards. Many classrooms also have TVs, maps, charts, pencils, books,monographs and LCD projectors for presenting information and images from a computer system.

The idea is to bring to India, the classrooms that encourage inter-disciplinary and collaborative learning options that transcend the boundaries of traditional learning methods. There are also small group classrooms where students learn in groups of about 7 or less.

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Comparison with Western classrooms Traditionally, classrooms have had one setup: straight rows of desks facing the front of the classroom. Studies have found that the row style also fosters less off topic talking causing the atmosphere to be more conducive to learning.

While the row style sounds ideal from a teacher’s stand point it can be damaging to the student’s well-being. The row style of desk arrangement has been found to cause the students to withdraw.

While we still follow the row style setup, many renowned universities in the West have started practicing the collaborative and smart style setups. Classrooms in the US have discussion in groups because their furniture allows them to. It helps students open up as the environment is soothing, thus the students can speak up without hesitating.

Everyone is made to participate and collaborate even if they do not wish to. Students and teacher together direct the class. Students also learn to deal with their personal fears.

Unlike the West, most Indian classrooms do not promote collaborative learning solution. These furniture pieces are too bulky to move, once placed cannot be moved for group discussions or to promote any other kind of movement. Very few can rotate or have castors to help change layouts from time to time.

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LAYOUT ANALYSIS OF CLASSROOMS For students, the classroom environment is very important. The size of the classroom and interior areas, the colors of the walls, the type of furniture and flooring, the amount of light, and the room arrangement all influence how students learn.

Thoughtful arrangement of the indoor and outdoor environments will support your learning goals for students.

In an ideal world the classroom furniture would be light and mobile so you could come in and quickly rearrange it to your liking. Unfortunately, in the real world scenario, it is often heavy and the rooms themselves are too small.

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Classroom layouts The horseshoe

Tables in a horseshoe or three sided square shape. This is great if you’re doing board work and speaking activities. All the students will be able to see you, the board and each other and you will have a lovely space in the middle of the horse shoe and around the outside to monitor. If you have a very large class you can get a similar effect by having one horseshoe inside another and using double rows.

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Chairs in a circle

Tables pushed to the walls and just the chairs in a circle. You can sit in the circle with your students. If they need to write at certain times of the lesson they can either go to work at the tables facing the walls around the outside or they can rest a folder on their knees and stay in the circle. The circle formation is great for many games, group discussions, welcoming your students at the beginning of the class, doing the register and really talking to your students.

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Nested tables in groups

Nested tables are obviously great for small group work and project work. It can be difficult to start classes when students are already sitting on small tables as some students will have their backs to you. If possible have the students sit so they’re side on to you and remember to move around the classroom when you need to give instructions or change activities. Surprise your class by popping up at different places around the class.

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Traditional rows

Although many schools still use traditional rows, as you can pack in lots of people in a small space, there are very few advantages for a language teacher. If you can’t get around behind the students to look at their work it can be really difficult to monitor. If you have to work in this layout think about the spaces at the front of the class and the aisles between the rows.

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BUSINESS AND PRODUCT LEVEL COMPANY ANALYSIS A part of the research conducted also dealt with scrutinizing classroom layouts at various International and National colleges and Universities. The layouts were judged on the basis of 8 factors. The factors are explained underneath, followed by the outcome of this test arranged in the table: 1. Visibility: This accounts for the visibility between the teacher and the teaching surfaces to the student.

2. Display and Interactive Surfaces: These include the surfaces that help in making the teaching process more tech-friendly, fun and easy to understand and relate.

3. Learning modes (group, private and self ): This factor explains whether the classroom supports multiple learning modes or not.

4. Comfort: Mostly the ease with using and accessing the furniture decides how comfortable the classroom is.

5. Flexiblity of Arrangements and Layouts: This decides whether the classroom is capable of supporting different layouts when needed to promote collaborative learning or not.

6. Storage: This factor tells us about the storage spaces in the classroom and furniture.

7. Tech Integration: This includes the technological equipments and appliances used to make the teaching process easy and convenient.

8. Materials: Various materials used and their properties fall under this category.

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International Institutions Name of the College

Visibility

Display and Interactive Surfaces

Richland College, Texas, USA

Good (Triangulation)

Good (Mobile surfaces)

Good (Mobile furniture)

Average

Bad (Less Space)

University of Florida, Florida, USA

Bad (Students obstruct)

Good (Plenty and diff. types)

Stanford University, California, USA

Average

Average

University of California, California, USA

Bad (Students obstruct)

Average

Average

Harvard University, Massachusetts, USA

Average (Small classrooms)

Good (Screens and diff. types of boards)

Melbourne University, Parkville, Australia

Average (Multiple screens)

MIT, Massachusetts, USA

University of Michigan, Michigan, USA

Imperial College, London, UK

Monash university, Clayton, Australia

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Average

Good (Softboards)

Learning modes – group/individual/ private

Comfort Good (Office chairs)

Good (AHA! COLAB)

Good (Couches for groups)

Good (Mobile furniture)

Good

Average

Bad (Immobile heavy chairs)

Average

Average (Less space)

Good

Average

Good (Upholstered)

Good (Rising floor level)

Good (Monitors on wall)

Bad (Only private) Good

Good (Cushioned chairs)

Good (Spacious classroom)

Average

Bad (Linear arrangement)

Bad

Average

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Bad (Upright backs)

Flexibility of arrangements and layouts

Storage

Tech Integration

Material

Good (Spacious)

Bad (Bags on chairs)

Bad (No tech integration)

Good (Durable)

Bad (Immobile furniture)

Average

Average (Plug points)

Bad (No castors)

Bad (No tech integration)

Good (Durable and cozy)

Bad (Fixed furniture)

Bad (Congested)

Bad (Not enough space)

Bad (No tech integration)

Good (Durable and cozy)

Average (Some furnitures have castors but some don’t)

Average (Space around the student)

Good

Bad

Average

Good (Plug points and cable management system)

Bad (Fixed furniture)

Good (Easy ingress & egress)

Bad (Bags on floor)

Bad (No tech integration)

Good (Durable and cozy)

Bad (Hard & uncomfortable)

Bad

Average

Average (Tables tessellate)

Bad (Congested)

Average (Space around the student)

Good (Cable management system)

Good (Durable and cozy)

Average (Heavy furniture)

Bad (Less space)

Bad

Average

Bad

Good (Cozy)

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Clockwise from top left: Richland College, Texas, USA University of Florida, Florida, USA MIT, Massachusetts, USA Stanford University, California, USA

University of California, California, USA

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Clockwise from top right:

University of Michigan, Michigan, USA Harvard University, Massachusetts, USA Imperial College, London, UK Melbourne University, Parkville, Australia Monash university, Clayton, Australia

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National Institutions Name of the College

Visibility

Display and Interactive Surfaces

NMIMS, Maharashtra, India

Average (Platform for tutor)

Bad (Only whiteboards)

Average (Groupwork possible)

Average

DAIICT, Gujarat, India

Bad (Classroom too long)

Bad (Only one board)

Bad (Only private)

Bad (No cushioning)

Jaypee IIT, Uttar Pradesh, India

Bad (Long classroom)

Bad (Private)

Bad (Metal seats)

VIT, Tamil Nadu, India

IIIT Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India

Amity University, Uttar Pradesh, India

Good (Rising floor level)

Average

Bad

Average

Good (Rising floor level)

Good (Softboards)

Good (Space for movement)

Average

Bad (Only one board)

Bad (Students obstruct)

Bad

Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Maharashtra, India

Average (Enough distance between benches)

Average (Whiteboards and softboards)

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Average (Group discussion)

Good (Screens and monitors on the wall)

Average (Students obstruct)

Jaypee University of Information Technology, Himachal Pradesh, India

Comfort

Average (Elevated platform for the tutor)

Christ University, Karnataka, India

Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India

Learning modes – group/individual/ private

Good (Rising floor level)

Bad

Bad (Only blackboards)

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Average

Average (Cushioned seats)

Bad (No group work)

Average (Upholstered seats)

Average (Private and individual learning)

Average (Hard furniture but easy access)

Bad (No other mode supported)

Bad (Rigid and hard to access furniture)

Bad (Uneasy ingress & egress)

Flexibility of arrangements and layouts

Storage

Tech Integration

Material

Average (Loose chairs)

Good (Mesh under the seat)

Bad (No tech integration)

Average (Durable)

Bad (Bulky furniture)

Average (Desk under)

Bad (No tech integration)

Bad (Not comfortable)

Bad (No tech integration)

Bad (Rigid metal chairs)

Bad

Good (Durable and cozy)

Bad (Immobile furniture)

Bad (Bags on floor)

Average (Less space)

Bad (Bags on floor)

Bad ( Joined single seats)

Bad (Congested)

Bad (Fixed furniture)

Bad (No tech integration)

Bad

Average (Desk under)

Good (Mics and plug points)

Average (Can be moved around)

Average (Desk under and space around) Average (Bagspace under the seat)

Bad

Bad (Enough space but bulky and delicate furniture)

Average (Bagspace under the seat)

Bad (No tech integration)

Good (Bagspace under the seat and small niches to keep them)

Bad (No tech integration)

Average (Not so easy to rearrange the classroom)

Bad (Fixed funriture)

Average (Durable)

Good (Durable and comfortable)

Good (Durable and cozy)

Average (Durable)

Bad (Neither comfortable nor durable) Average (Durable but uncomfortable)

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Clockwise from top left: NMIMS, Maharashtra, India VIT, Tamil Nadu, India DAIICT, Gujarat, India IIIT Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India Jaypee IIT, Uttar Pradesh, India

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Clockwise from top right: Amity University, Uttar Pradesh, India Christ University, Karnataka, India Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Maharashtra, India Jaypee University of Information Technology, Himachal Pradesh, India

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After analysis of the space Trevi was going to invest in, the study moved on to analysing the competitors, Indian and International. As this would explain the current trends being followed in the institutional furniture category and help recognize the loopholes that can be filled through Trevi stepping into the market. The analysis was done on the basis of the following factors that defined whether they promote collaborative learning methods or not. The table below analyzes the companies on the product level i.e. categorizing them according to the quality of their products.

Personal Storage: This checks if the company provides storage space for the bag, stationery or other personal accessories.

Value for Money: This category records whether the company offers enough for the price of the furniture being sold.

Easy Stacking/ Space saving: This category judges the company’s designs on its stackability.

Personalization: This factor judges whether the company provides options to personalize the furniture according to the customers’ needs or not.

Comfort/ Ergonomics: This factor measures how comfortable and ergonomically appropriate the furniture offered is.

Choice of Colour and Material: This tells us whether the company gives an option to customize the furniture piece and to be able to make choice between various colours and materials.

International Big Players (Product Analysis)

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Name of the Company

Personal Storage

Value for Money

Easy Stacking/ Space Saving

Personalization

Comfort/ Ergonomics

Choice of Colour and Material

Steelcase

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Herman Miller

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Haworth

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Kimball

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Artcobell

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

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Easy to Clean: This tells if the furniture has small niches that could accumulate dust of the materials could get stainy easily or not.

Promotes Interaction: This category contributes largely towards making the classroom. It checks whether the furniture promotes interaction with the user and the environment or not.

Aesthetics: This category deals with the aesthetics of the furniture and how pleasing its form and colours are to the user.

Installation: The companies get a plus if they take the burden of installation off the user’s shoulder.

Flexible Layouts for Different Behaviours: This category is also a major contributor towards collaborative learning. It decides if the furnitures offered promote change in layouts for different settings in a classroom.

Tech Friendly: Only if the furniture designed has a tech friendly element such as plugpoints, charging ports, ethrnet connections etc. get a positive in this category.

Easy to clean

Promotes interaction

Aesthetics

Installation

Flexible Layouts for Different Behaviours

Tech Friendly

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

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Steelcase

Artcobell

Haworth

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Kimball

Herman Miller

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Indian Big Players (Product Analysis) Name of the Company

Personal Storage

Value for Money

Easy Stacking/ Space Saving

Comfort/ Ergonomics

Choice of Colour and Material

Godrej Interio

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Wipro Furniture

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Featherlite

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Dovetail

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Popcorn

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Godrej Interio

Featherlite

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Personalization

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Easy to clean

Promotes interaction

Aesthetics

Installation

Flexible Layouts for Different Behaviours

Tech Friendly

Yes Yes

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

Wipro Fruniture

Dovetail

Popcorn

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Medium and Small Players (Product Analysis) Name of the Company

Personal Storage

Value for Money

Easy Stacking/ Space Saving

The Us Family

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

ABCO

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Comfort/ Ergonomics

Choice of Colour and Material

Enwork

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Bretford

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Sedia Systems

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Paragon

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Fleetwood

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Smith System

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

ABCO

Sedia System

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Personalization

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Enwork

Smith System

Easy to clean

Promotes interaction

Aesthetics

Installation

Flexible Layouts for Different Behaviours

Tech Friendly

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Bretford

Paragon

Fleetwood

The Us Family

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After having studied the companies on the basis of their products, it’s time to scrutinize their business level strategies and how they compete agianst each other. This study tells us about the strengths and weaknesses of the companies and what Trevi should incorporate and what it should not.

International Big Players (Strengths) Global Supply Chain

Research back Strategies

Volume Manufacturing Capacity

Engineering and manufacturing

Understanding of Functional requirements

Design and Innovation

Good Engineering

Vertically Integrated Manufacturing

Good Design Crew

Haworth

Engineering and manufacturing

Good Understanding of Aesthetics

Procurement

Artcobell

Manufacturing

Aesthetically Unique

Sustainability

Steelcase Herman Miller Kimball

Indian Big Players (Strengths) Godrej interio

Global Supply Chain

Brand Name Legacy

Volume Manufacturing Capacity

Wipro Furniture

Good Manufacturing Capabilities

Good Procurement and Supplier Chain

Good Design Crew

Dovetail

Good Manufacturing Capabilities

Good Procurement and Supplier Chain

Good Design Crew

Featherlite

Good Manufacturing Capabilities

Premium Feel to Brand

Good Design Crew Sense of Aesthetics

Distribution

Packaging and Logistics

Procurement

Popcorn

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Design Development

Design for All Ages

Leaders in Education Market

Brand Name Legacy

Design Development

Procurement

Understanding of and Learning Modes

Brand Name Legacy

Leaders in Contemporary Office Furniture

Good Web Presence

Good Online Presence

Good Understanding of Functional Needs Design Development

Design Development

Procurement

Brand Name Legacy Good Googling Skills Good Logistics and Packaging

Good Procurement and Supplier Chain

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Medium and Small Players (Strengths) ABCO

Manufacture Most of their Furniture

Meet sustainability certification

Good aesthetics

Bretford

Wide Range of Educational Products

Well Though Comprehensive Design

Amazing Customization Services

Enwork

Good Manufacturing Capabilities

Good Engineering

Good Design Crew

Sedia Systems

Lecture Hall Furniture Leaders

Personalization Options

Installation

Paragon

Good Manufacturing Capabilities

Good Engineering

Good Design Crew

Fleetwood

Good Craftsmanship

Good Materials and Procurement

Complete and Rich Portfolio of Products

Smith System

Good Manufacturing Capabilities

Good Procurement and Supplier Chain

Looking Into Various Learning dynamics

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Integrated Wire Management All Pieces Involve interaction

Well planned adequate warranty periods

Good Understanding of Aesthetics

Good Understanding of Functional Needs

Several Novel Products

Rich and Full Portfolio

Good Online Presence

12 year warranty + Lifetime Frame Warranty

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ERGONOMIC RESARCH AND ANTHROPOMETRIC DATA Anthropometry refers to the scientific study of the measurements and proportions of the human body.

Ergonomics can briefly be defined as people’s efficiency in their working environment.

Anthromopometry and Ergonomics play extremely important parts in the process of designing furniture.

They ensure the comfort and ease while making and experiencing the designed furniture and thus the emotional attachment with it.

This section deals with the basic measurements that were used as reference for studying te different gestures and postures for designing institutional furniture

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Basic body dimensions of Indian populace while standing. Such as measuring the waist line and the hipline to accordingly vary the table heights and edges.

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Dimesions such as maximum body depth (relaxed) helps us understand the minimum amount of space to be left between a table and seating for a smooth ingress and egress.

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Measurements like mid thigh and lower thigh allow us to understand the comfort in furnitures such as a tablet chair where the pupil has a fixed space for ingress, egress and even the height of the tablet from the thighs as an example.

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Measuring the lower lumbar guides the form and dimensions of the backrest and ensure proper posture while studying or working.

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The distance from the buttocks to the knee and to the politeal defines the depth of seating and the position of footrest which is important while designing for congested spaces such as the Indian classrooms.

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Most of the time spent in a classroom is while sitting for lectures. Thus, it is very important to consider the body pocture and dimensions while sitting.

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These dimensions judge the comfort of a seating and a writing surface when being used together. They help us understand the how high or low the a set of furnitures should be.

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Table and chair ergonomics for different activities performed in different postitions. For eg. the coffee table is lower than a work table as you can be more relaxed while using a coffee table and can rest your arms on the table which is not ususally the case while working.

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As most companies begin with designing office furniture and further move into the institutional space, most of the dimensions being used in university furniture are derived from office furniture ergonomics.

Thus, the dimensions being used by featherlite for making college furniture were also taken into consideration while designing for Trevi.

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SITE VISIT TO MANIPAL UNIVERSITY, JAIPUR, INDIA A site visit to the Manipal University, Jaipur was also made during the course of the project, as a lot of furniture was installed by the client, Trevi. This visit helped in understanding how the spaces and the furnitures are being used and how sturdy and compact they should be to fit the Indian context.

01

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Classroom

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The furniture in the classrooms is well organised but is not so easy to change layouts for activities such as group work. It is comfortable as the seat and back are cushioned but can be way higher on the aesthetic scale.

01

Classroom

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The library has a soothing environment and definitely provides the peace of mind needed. It has a rigid format that has a potential to be altered or can be divided into smaller spaces that serve for performing other activities such as group work or a place to just relax yourself. It does have personal cubicles that help students concentrate better.

02

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Library

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The computer has boring traditional layout and has a pretty uneasy and cluttered feel to it. The extra partition between every 2 students make the space heavy to the eyes. The small alleys have a claustrophobic feel to them. And the placement of certain parts of the system is inappropriate and can easily be hidden. The place is well lit but it lacks the spark in terms of furniture placed in it. The tables are boxy and bright coloured and the chairs are a pain to move around.

03

Computer Lab

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One of the most happening areas on campus is the hostel mess, as it has energetic colours in it. The colours seem to have been carefully chosen so they relate to most food packaging and encourage people to eat here.

04

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Hostel Mess

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The furniture here consists of plastic chairs and tables that are light and can be moved around easily. And are sturdy enough to sustain the rough usage in such as space.

04

Hostel Mess

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Another colourful space is the institute dining area. The furniture used here is the same is as the one used in the hostel mess but the change in the colours give a formal ambience.

05

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Institute Dining

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The cafeteria is a more student friendly space as it has a little informal environment. The furniture used here is light wait and made of the sturdy and long-lasting materials. The space has been divided into areas with less or more no. of tables for smaller or larger groups but lacks a space where students can relax more and can sit in different postures or on furnitures with cushioning. As these spaces can be used as informal collaborative workspaces too.

06

Cafeteria

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The labs have a clean and well organised layout but lack comfortable furniture as the furniture used here is of the boxy nature and has seen no change in decades. It has no aesthetic value in terms of form and material as most of has been being made of wood in ages now.

07

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Laboratory

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This rooms has the best pastel shades put together that are meant to calm the faculty’s mind and destress them. The furniture and partition used here is well though of as it gives opportunity to change the setting of the space and customize it in whatever way you want.

08

Faculty Room

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3: DESIGN BRIEF

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ABOUT CLIENT Trevi is India’s leading institutional furniture brand offering thoughtful/emotional solutions that consider ‘students’ life on campus’ and focuses on collaborative learning. This approach makes the university build its unique identity while students indulge in memorable and enjoyable learning experience.The company is based out of Bengaluru, Karnataka, India and also has its manufacturing in the city.

Trevi desires to be a monopoly by the end of the year 2020 in the college furniture space. There is negligible competition in the sector as most funriture companies that enter the institutional space serve primary and secondary schools and treat college furniture as a complementary option. None of them focus on the needs of college students specifically, which automatically clears Trevi path and makes its aim achievable sooner and easily.

The institutional furniture market in India desires to be evolved the way corporate and hospitality sectors have, keeping aside the notion of traditional classroom layouts and their ways of teaching. Move away from a mentality of keeping the furniture uncomfortable to avoid sleepiness amongst students and rather make them comfortable and homely to help the students concentrate better. Bringing in collaborative learning and making the teaching techniques more interactive than instructive. The strategy to position Trevi on the top would be by designing a range of affordable pieces first and then moving on to a premium range that competes with world-class quality products.

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STRATEGY TO HELP TREVI MONOPOLIZE

PHASE 1 1. Institutional research 2. Consumer research 3. Opportunities identification 4. Road mapping opportunities 5. Trevi manufacturing capabilities 6. Strengthening current Portfolio 7. Expanding current portfolio 8. Develop marketing materials

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PHASE 2 1. Developing concepts 2. Prototyping concepts 3. Testing concepts 4. Build product portfolio strategies 5. Build range of products 6. Build marketing material – update website 7. Social media push/pull 8. PR activities

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PHASE 3 1. Developing new concepts 2. End-to-end solution provider 3. Collaborate with other professionals 4. Prototyping concepts 5. Testing concepts 6. Build product portfolio strategies 7. Build range of products 8. Build marketing material – update website 9. Social media push/pull 10. PR activities

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PROJECT TIMELINE The mammoth task of designing furniture for various spaces in an institute was divided on the basis of the importance and usage of these spaces in an institution. Classrooms being on top of the list, was chosen as the space to be worked on throughout these 6 months of the graduation project, a brief timeline of which has been shown below.

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FINAL BRIEF DEVELOPMENT The project intends to scrutinize the Indian institutional furniture industry and its future aspects in order to understand and generate a strategy for Trevi to climb up the ladder to be the premium furniture manufacturer in the field in the country. Some of the main objectives include: • • • •

Designing a basic range of furniture for Trevi to start-off in the market, Upgrading the basic furniture range to a new, collaborative, more comfortable, technologically sound and “suitable for Indian context” furniture range; Developing a strong online image for Trevi, so it is easily accessible to more people; and Arranging the old furniture into various categories and designing a brochure which would make the choosing process easy to understand and enjoyable for the customers.

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4: CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

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THE PROCESS The design development strategy included working on a range of basic furniture for the classroom, library and the hostel as these were the important, most used spaces and the Trevi had been dealing with hostel furniture more than any other area till now. But the initial investment had to be in the classroom funriture section as it had been identified as the space for most improvisation.

The document showcases all the work done in the timeframe of 6 months, no matter it was related to furniture or not but is definitely associated with the company. It also runs you through some new hostel layouts and furniture, branding, library furniture and finally some classroom furniture collections.

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CLASSROOM FURNITURE Out of all the spaces in an institution, classroom was chosen as the spaceto work on first, since it is one of the most used spaces, has multiple users and has not seen enough of change in the layout and furniture being used in the space.

Historically, out of the three commercial spaces of the offices, hospitality and institutions, the last has seen least number of changes. Office and hospitality sector have recently seen a greater change in the way they operate and look. The hospitals do not make people feel more sick anymore, the offices, from a cubicle system have moved onto becoming open spaces and encourage the concept of co-working spaces since they infuse more learning and interaction.

These spaces are moving towards becoming more and more comfortable and cozy. They are being designed in a way that they make you feel home. But, unfortunately, the institutional space has seen no such change in decades.

Most of the classrooms use harsh furniture and are bland when it comes to providing an environment to learn. Thus, these spaces need to go through a leap of change where they also march towards becoming modern workspaces. The challenge was to design something that was visually light but physically heavy so it wouldn’t move or break easily but also be easy to move if the need be. The furniture should also promote collaborative learning techniques within the classroom.

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Welcome Wall Welcome wall was a name given to the modesty panel while trying to make it multi purpose. A modesty panel is as the name suggests a panel to keep the modesty of the students i.e. to cover the lower halves of their bodies from the teacher so he/she does not get distracted.

This part of the project deals with making them more than what they are being used for. It includes explorations such as making storage spaces for the students or putting plug points for charging the phones and also keeping the students away from them etc.

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It has been called the welcome wall for the obvious reason of being the first thing in the front of the row and welcoming the students. Thus we want to optimize the usage of such a space and serve a better purpose.

Some explorations also include their usage as notice boards and book shelves.

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Just Ply Collection This range was developed later keeping in mind the limitations set by Trevi, since they did not have the technology to explore much with metal. Hence, this part of the process focussed only onto developing just plywood furniture. It only uses metal hardware and some metal members for strength but no structural members made of metal.

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Different grades and shades of plywood, laminates, veneers and finishes compliment each other and highlight the beauty if this range.

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Tables Tables serve as the primary writing and reading surfaces in a classroom. They are also used for sitting and go through a lot of ill-treatment in an Indian classroom.

Thus, one of the main concerns apart form ergnomics and aesthetics while designing classroom tables is considering their strength and sturdiness.

The ideation began with exploring simple forms using plywood and metal pipes. Though the company claims to be incapable of doing much with bending technology, some explorations with simple techniques were still taken into consideration for the designs.

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Most of the furniture in today’s classroom either wobbles or a part of it is broken.

The effort here is to make more stable furniture.

This is an attempt at making simple, easily portable, heavy but light looking furniture for a classroom.

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After having realised the limitations with manufacturing cost and capabilities, the designs were simplified and ideation process moved towards exploring simple geometric forms. This process commenced with concepts involving inspiration from triangles and quadrilaterals since these are the most stable and easily producable ones.

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The final concept takes inspiration from a “trapezium” since the shape is stable due to two of its parallel sides and dynamism because of the nonparallel sides. “Trapezium” inspired direction was taken forward and eventually became the final language followed in the project.

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Chairs A lot of effort was made to make classroom furniture comfortable, just enough that it doesn’t hamper people’s attention and also doesn’t allow them to doze off.

The most comfortable and abundant furniture piece in a classroom is a chair. As a chair interacts with the entire human form suppporting the back and the butt of a person. It encourages right posture and prevents pain developemnt.

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Since there’s a lot of attention been given to comfort, you would also see some ideas that provide cushioning on either on the seat or the back or both.

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Some explorations include the form of the seat how it can be simplified and made more comfortable. The idea of bent ply was much appreciated but was scrapped beacause of technological constraints. Thus, they were left to be produced later, while developing the premium range.

Better ergonomics and easily pickable were the main aims while redesigning these. The form incorporated a handle on top so the user can grab and place it at the desired place.

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After having chosen a few directions while developing concepts for tables, the explorations for chairs were done around those languages to complete the family.

Some of the furnitures use metal L-sections as they are easy to produce and can become economical option for making the legs and supports.

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Table and Chair Attached for Two Most of the ideation process commenced with a designing with an open ended approach with no restrictions. This is the reason why some of the designs also include absurd and conceptual sketches that might not even be able to produced.

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The design process began with exploring this category in the traditional way that is keeping the table in the front and seating at the back. But, while exploring different orientations in the process, it was realised that keeping the seating in the front and table at the back works well too as it gives the student the freedom to adjust his/her distance from the table. And by making the seat a little longer at the back, a small storage space for keeping the bags can be accommodated.

The language being followed was parallely developed while working on tables and this category. It is appropriate to go forward with such a language as this sort of furniture requires more strength and support to keep in shape in the long run.

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Table and Chair Attached for a Single Student The exploration started with working on the already chosen direction and make changes to the same. Some concepts also included experiments with bending round pipe.

This type of furniture is not used so widely as it restricts the personal space. And is not feasible for Indian classrooms.

Most chairs either have a hard back or have cushioning at th back, but the attempt here was to make something that is flexible, easy to clean, light to the eyes and adapts to the body shape.

Some of the designs also incorporate a storage along with them.

A niche that the bags, stationery or water bottles can nestle in.

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The chosen design language uses simple geometric shapes and straight lines. Thus, it also reduces the production cost since the first phase of the design process consists of an affordable and simple range of furniture. Most of the framework uses welding and screwing so it also easy to assemble at the destination.

Unique form and functionality of the furniture would give Trevi an edge over other the competitors as these furniture pieces would be one of a kind.

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Tablet Chairs These chairs are widely used in small classrooms and in coaching classes as they can be used in different shaped classrooms. Most of the tablet chairs are made of plastic and have an ugly look to them.

Thus, this is an attempt to move away from the cheap looking Chinese plastic seats to more elegant and stable forms.

Initial sketches deal with making the tablet collapsible, in the sense that it can sort of disappear while not being used.

But later, due to monetary, complextiy and time constraints they were simplified.

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Thus, this range is simple but tries to provide as much comfort as it can. The advantage of the chosen direction over the existing designs is that these are environment friendly and they are more durable.

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Joinery and Hardware Details Some of the chosen furniture pieces were literally broken down to explode and explain the joinery and assembly. This was done so as to make the furniture easily transferable and thus reduce the transportation cost.

All the designs were then detailed to be knock down as it reduces the portabability expenses.

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Most of the joinery details were adopted from current joineries being used by Trevi since it required no investment in developing new ones.

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Joineries Used: Clockwise from top left corner: Rubber shoes for legs, ( Joinery A)Screws to fix metal to wood and plywood, ( Joinery B) square pipe attched with a nut and a bolt to another square pipe with the help of a metal plate welded in the other pipe, nuts and bolts used to connect metal to metal.

Bolted to other metal members

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Different types of shoes and glides used in furniture legs. These enable height adjustments and level of the furniture. They also prevent the furniture from wearing off, unnecessary movement and provide aesthetic beauty to it.

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Nest Collection Nest Series Tables This is a special range that was developed during the course of the project. It is the most customizable of all.

The customers are offered various options of the parts of furniture, which they can choose from.

Each product has been divided into 3 parts i.e. the table has been broken down into a table top, a nest holding the table and the legs that are either connected to the nest or the table top.

Similarly, the chair has been divided into 3 different parts viz the seat, the nest on which the seat sits and the legs that are either connected to the seat or the nest.

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It has been called the ‘Nest Series’ as the nest is the major addition and the USP of this range since it plays an important role in providing strength and aesthetics to this collection. It also contains the seat in itself. It makes the user feel safe and secured from the sides.

The customer can choose the form and colour they want and the furniture can be customized accrodingly. It also opens up an option of mixing and matching the designs to create the similar language in a space or an institution.

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Nest Series Chairs This unique series is a customizable range of products. The chairs can be broken down into 3 components viz the seat, nest and the legs. The user has few options to choose from in each category.

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The seat and legs take care of most of the ergonomics part. The seat is comfortable because of the fillets, curves and lumbar support.

On the other hand, the nest connects the the seat to the legs and give the user a feeling of security and also enhances its aesthetic appeal.

The nest gives the chair a structure and gives the chair its unique identity. The nest can also coclour blocked to indidcate grouping of certain chairs or the whole nest can differ. It opens up options for the user to choose from.

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Collection 1 (Trapezoid Collection) Strong Interactive Movement Dynamic Simple

Table for two

Table and chair attached for two

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Unique Sturdy Structured Futuristic Excitement

Chair for one

Table and chair attached for one

Tablet chair

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Collection 2 (Nest Collection) Customizable Interactive Caring Dynamic Simple

Table for two

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Unique Organic Flexible Futuristic Excitement

Chair for one

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Colour Palette and Material Board

These colours represent the ones used in laminates and paints to give the furniture a lively look.

Teakwood

Oakwood

Mangowood

Pinewood

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Metal

Rubber

Mood Board The ideation process started with identifying the desired mood to be created in the classroom when the designed furniture has been installed in. After having decided the form of the furniture which gave it structure, energy and dynamism, the desired mood could be achieved by the choice of colour, materials, finishes and composition of these factors.

Encouraging Refreshing

Calm

Dynamic

Relaxed Structured

Active

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LIBRARY FURNITURE Library is one of the most peaceful and comfortable spaces in an institute. It is where the mind can concentrate the best. And such a space deserves to have the most comforting environment that allows you to think. And furniture plays an important role in contributing to the comfort of a space. Since it not only interacts with the space but also with your body to allow you to think freely.

Thus, this is an attempt to make library furniture as comfortable and cheap at the same time. It includes the furniture for public reading areas and personal cubicles in a library.

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The library furniture range also has tech integration to it. As a lot of people these days, tend to work on their devices in the library.

Thus, these tables have plug-points and ethernet connections incorporated with them.

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Since some of the furniture developed for the classrooms can also be used in the public reading space of the library, this part mostly consists of the exploration done for the private and group discussion areas of the library.

These areas are usually made more casual and comforting than the public reading areas. Thus, the furniture also follows the same language.

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Explorations with castors were also included in the process as some of these furnitures might need a change of layout and castors would contribute to the ease in doing so.

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NEW HOSTEL LAYOUT DEVELOPMENT Expanding their scope of work, Trevi was working on developing new layouts for Jain Unviersity, Bangalore. This chapter shows glimpses of the work done in order to break the monotony in the room layouts at the Jain University. The orientation and the dimensiond of the room were provided with details like the no. of students staying in the room to construction details and zoning of the space.

The exploration started with moving around 3 basic elements provided by the college i.e. the bed, storage unit and study table. Apart from the basic layout the two final options also differ in furniture pieces used in the space. These pieces have been treated as 3 different entities in the first option and have formed a cocoon like space for the student in the second option.

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Rooms to do the layout for.

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Some initial exploration to find a direction. The space had to be divided such that it doesn’t feel small but also unnecessarily big. thus the zoning for each student had to be taken care of.

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Layout Option 1 The first option deals with all the important furniture being separate and movable if required. The aim is to be wise with the placement of each student’s furniture, be it the amount of natural light while working or the distance from the toilet and the entrancee/exit door.

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Layout Option 2 This layout deals with developing a personal space within the room for each student. The intention is come up with space saving solutions and to provide the students with a personal shell where they are feel free and are not monitored by anyone. This also lessens the movement within the room to make it look less busy.

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Tables placed near the windows to get natural light

Bed and storage integrated individual private cocoons

Entrance of the room

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HOSTEL FURNITURE DEVELOPMENT The individual furniture pieces that go into the new layout were also given a thought over and attempts to customize them for that particular layout were made. These elements were again divided into two according to the layout they would go in as the cocoon for the second layout would be a single multi-purpose piece of furniture.

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Layout Option 1 The idea was to design a furniture family that can be installed in the rooms for a longer duration. So, it has to be sturdy, long-lasting and still have a little bit of scope for customization.

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The design followed a simple language of amjorly using plywood and wood with a complementary metal element that highlights in the space.

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Layout Option 2 The basis of such a personal space was a need for more privacy within the room.

It is a campact space that comprises of most of the important furniture one needs and can thus spend most of his/her itme in peace in his parsonalized space.

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It also includes niches for storing shoes, luggage, books, phone, charger and some space for the notice board to pin up important notes.etc.

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The final colour palette consisted of simple pastel colours and light textured laminates to give the layout a classy and soothing look. Use of such light colours and natural materials keep the students calm. These colours also unusual and thus also add a little bit of playfulness to the space. The module comprises of a bed and a working table adjacent to it with some storage units adjusted in the space.

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BRANDING AND IDENTITY The brand identity for Trevi was also developed during the 6-months period. In order to be more powerful and influential, Trevi desperately needed a better brand identity. Thus, the logo designing bit was also taken up by MADLAB. But, a lot of time was also invested in portraying Trevi better, online and offline. It needed a better representation of the work done till now and the recently completed new projects. Trevi needed to have a stronger online presence as well as an offline one for better promotion.

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The process started with simple layouts that would show the work Trevi has done or is capable of doing as of now.

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Since Trevi has been in the market for some time, the brochure made use of the furniture installed by them in some institutes which would help people viewing them imagine and judge better.

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The basic idea for the brochure dealt with putting forward Trevi’s capabilities and the market influence so far. Also showing the scope of improvement and that would later make Indian collaborative classrooms stand in par with the western counterparts.

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The furniture showcased in the brochure uses subtle and unusual colours that would be a change in the mood and look for the students and the institutes to have in the classrooms. The brochure would show the basic details of the furniture with basic dimensions and orientation.

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ACTIVELEARNINGENVIRONMENTS

1

Designed for Student’s life, Customised for you.

HOSTEL SERIES

HLB 002

Framed Hostel Bed (HLB 002)

This unique bed with maple wood frame is light and soothing to the eye.

Length

4

HLT 001

: 1800mm

Breadth : 600mm Height

: 450mm

Rectangular Study Table (HLT 001)

This table offers a clean surface and storage for the students’ convenience

Length

: 1200mm

Breadth : 600mm Height

: 750mm

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The brochure ideation concluded with deciding upon a grid that would be followed in all the pages including the cover as it will give more structure to it. As it smoothly fits in with the product and the space it has been presented in and also shows the basic details about the product.

8

HOSTEL SERIES

Length

: 1800mm

Breadth : 600mm Height

Hostel Bed (HLB 006)

Length

: 1800mm

Hostel Bed

Breadth : 600mm Height

: 450mm

: 450mm

Hostel Bed (HLB 007)

HLB 006

This bed provides a headboard that facilitates leaning onto and relaxing with sufficient storage below it.

(HLB 008)

HLB 007

Length

: 1800mm

Breadth : 600mm Height

: 450mm

Hostel Bed (HLB 009)

HLB 008

Length

: 1800mm

Breadth : 600mm

Extra closed storage underneath gives this bed an advantage over others.

Height

: 450mm

HLB 009

7

HOSTEL SERIES

HLS 004

Storage above table (HLS 004)

This unit provides an efficient storage which reduces the need for an excessive cupboard.

Hostel Bed (HLB 005) This is an economical bed with simple aesthetics.

Length

Length

: 2400mm

Breadth : 450mm Height

: 1200mm

: 1800mm

Breadth : 600mm Height

: 450mm

HLB 005

M AT E R I A L A N D F I N I S H E S ABC range of neutral colours…………

WHITE-XYZ

MATERIAL-Plywood

GREEN-XYZ

FINISH- Laminate BLACK-XYZ

Images of the product being used work in convincing the user of buying the product and also opens their mind to different settings that the furniture piece can fit in.

You will only see hostel furniture and the colours, materials and finishes the pieces are available in.

M E TA L F I N I S H E S MATERIAL-MS Sections – L sectionPipeSquare pipeFINISH- Powder coating

YELLOW-XYZ

LIGHT TURQUOISE-XYZ

ORANGE-XYZ

BLUE-XYZ

RED-XYZ

L A M I N AT E S WHITE-XYZ

SOFT MAPLE-XYZ

GREY-XYZ

GREEN-XYZ

CHROME-XYZ

YELLOW-XYZ

BLACK-XYZ

ABC range of wooden finishes…………

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FINE GRAIN-XYZ

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5: CONCLUSION

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FINAL DESIGNS

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Joinery A

Joinery B

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Joinery A

Joinery B

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Joinery A

Joinery B

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Joinery A

Joinery B

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Joinery A

Joinery B

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Joinery A

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TECHNICAL DRAWINGS Technical drawings showing the detailed dimensions of the chosen designs i.e. Trapezoid Collection and Nest collection.

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REFLECTIONS Being the last, longest and the most important project at the institute, this project was a plethora of knowledge, theoretical and practical. It exposed me to the industry and its complications.

All the knowledge gained at the institute was to be applied,which is why most of the learning happened by doing, making mistakes and correcting them.

The journey began with improving my representation skills like basic sketching and perspective which made a huge difference in the former and new ways of representation. Anna (mentor at MADLAB) made sure all the sketches are proportionate and in the right perspective. He believes that, “Good sketches are the strongest ways to convey one’s ideas.�Good meaning, informative and clear enough so that it is easily perceivable by the onlooker and he is able to imagine and understand the idea instantly.

The project taught me about the amount of research and background study that goes into designing for a client and meeting his/her demands in order to satisfy them while also maintaining a balance between the budget and the quality. I also witnessed various phases that a project this big involves as a lot of planning and strategizing goes into play. Each step needs approval and agreement from the client to move forward in certain direction. Various discussions take place that conclude in ways unexpected and teach you to deal with them and move on.

Every evolution needs tremendous amount of research, whether it is primary or secondary, theortical or practical, or manufacturer centric or user centric. After which the design needs to be manufactured and tested on the basis of these factors.

The project also looked into getting into the details of each furniture such as the no. of components, joinery, materials, finishes, manufacturing cost furniture and how it can be optimized to reach the final solution.

Lastly, and most importantly, it gave an experience of working in a design firm compared to a corporate, as it allows you to explore yourself in the process of designing without as much restrictions.

Thank you!

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BIBLIOGRAPHY AND WEBLIOGRAPHY Content Sources Books Chakrabarti, Debkumar. Indian Anthropometric Dimensions For Ergonomic Design Practice. 1st ed. Ahmedabad: National Institute of Design, 1997. Print.

Joseph di Chiara. Julius Panero. Martin Zelnik. Time Savers Standards For Interior Design and Space Planning.

Elizabeth F. Barkley. Claire H. Major. K. Patricia Cross. Collaborative Learning Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty Web Commmunications, Stanford. “Stanford University”. Stanford.edu. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.

“Coolors”. Coolors.co. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.

“Classroom Layout”. TeachingEnglish | British Council | BBC. Web. 8 Mar. 2016.

“Classroom Architect”. Classroom.4teachers.org. Web. 11 March. 2016. www.daiict.ac.in. Web. 11 March. 2016.

“Classroom”. En.wikipedia.org. Web. 5 Mar. 2016. https://www.google.co.in/. Web. 1 Mar. 2016.

“Collaborative Learning”. En.wikipedia.org. Web. 5 Mar. 2016. https://www.steelcase.com/insights/case-studies/filters/education. Web. 15 May. 2016. http://www.hermanmiller.com/research/case-studies.html. Web. 7 May. 2016. www.artcobell.com. Web. 9 May. 2016. www.abcofurniture.com. Web. 9 May. 2016. www.sediasystems.com. Web. 1 Aug. 2016.

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Image sources “Body Measurements & Table/Chair Height”. Decosoup.com. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. rocking, Discount. “La Lindo Rakuten Ichiba Shop | Rakuten Global Market: Global.rakuten.com. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.

“For Tablets | Bretford”. Bretford.com. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.

“Fleetwood Furniture”. Fg-dealer.com. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.

“Intuit Adjustable Chair”. Smith System. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.

“Home”. Nmims.edu. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.

“VIT University”. VIT University. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.

University, Yale and Yale University. “Yale University”. Yale University. Web. 19 March 2016.

“University Of Michigan”. Umich.edu. Web. 20 March 2016.

“University Of California”. University of California. Web. 19 March 2016.

“Monash University”. Monash.edu. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.

“Harvard University”. Harvard University. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.

“Innovative Interior Solutions For Home & Offices Furniture - Godrej Interio”. Godrejinterio.com. Web. 16 Apr. 2016. www.wiprofurniturebusiness.com. Web. 27 May. 2016. www.dovetail.in. Web. 27 May. 2016. www.popcornfurniture.com. Web. 27 May. 2016. www.featherlitefurniture.com. Web. 21 May. 2016. https://www.google.co.in/search?q=steelcase&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi79LOtuMzQAhXCRI8K HS-dDJAQ_AUICigD&biw=1242&bih=592. Web. 15 May. 2016. www.abcofurniture.com. Web. 9 May. 2016. www.enwork.com. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. www.paragoninc.com. Web. 27 Jul. 2016. https://smithsystem.com. Web. 27 Jul. 2016.

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