Stackable Chairs
Within the specifications it states that the chairs must be 'Able to stack or fold neatly and compactly'. I have begun to research examples of stack able chairs in the bid to see how I might design my chair with these particular functions.
Personally, I think that with this particular example, the stacking looks quite messy. Also there are only seven chairs that have been stacked here, if you have a lot of chairs but limited space you want to be able to stack as many chairs as possible by using minimal space. This concept would not work and I think this is due to the bulkiness of the chair's if you look at the base it is very big. But what is interesting is making note of the shapes of the chairs and the frames as this enables them to stack in the first place.
In terms of their design, the colours of the chair would not be appropriate for any church and the shape does not really fit well with the overall conventions of a church either as they do not portray any kind of religious elements.
The frame looks like it is metal which is obviously a sturdy and durable material and the chair itself appears to be plastic which means it is easy to clean also again durable.
The things that I keep thinking about when I am looking at these chairs is the shapes - the shape is important because it allows them to be stack able but also it adds comfort.
This example of stacking chairs in my opinion looks so much more
neater and better aesthetically. In a church environment I feel that you would
be able to stack many more chairs without using a lot of space. This mainly is
due to the slimness of the base itself, but having a slim frame is this really
a good idea if it is going to be used quite frequently.? If a church invests in
these chairs the intention is that they last and are not doing to put the congregation
in any sort of dangers.
Finding that balance of having a small frame with a strong material is something that I will have to look into further. But I do feel that this idea of stacking the chairs works better in terms of space and the overall look of it.
As a design by the look of it they would not really be suitable for a church like environment. They seem too causal and the plastic would perhaps stand out in a more traditional church that has lots of wooden objects and furniture. But if the plastic is a brown and without such a glossy finish would it fit in better?
Below is another example of chairs being stacked neatly. The way these chairs stack are ideal for this brief, they do not take much space up at all and you can stack many more chairs without added extra height.
The only problem is, is that these chairs aesthetically would again not fit in with a church, but the concept and method of how they are stacked are things to make note of. It seems that with these two examples, the thinner the base or frame the more that can be stacked. This means that the chairs are also light in weight which is also something that is very important for the brief and specifications
But do they have to be stacked? Can they be folded down and then placed somewhere in a cupboard or trolley? Again this is a factor that I will need to explore into when researching foldable chairs and other examples of stacking away furniture.
Finding that balance of having a small frame with a strong material is something that I will have to look into further. But I do feel that this idea of stacking the chairs works better in terms of space and the overall look of it.
As a design by the look of it they would not really be suitable for a church like environment. They seem too causal and the plastic would perhaps stand out in a more traditional church that has lots of wooden objects and furniture. But if the plastic is a brown and without such a glossy finish would it fit in better?
Below is another example of chairs being stacked neatly. The way these chairs stack are ideal for this brief, they do not take much space up at all and you can stack many more chairs without added extra height.
The only problem is, is that these chairs aesthetically would again not fit in with a church, but the concept and method of how they are stacked are things to make note of. It seems that with these two examples, the thinner the base or frame the more that can be stacked. This means that the chairs are also light in weight which is also something that is very important for the brief and specifications
But do they have to be stacked? Can they be folded down and then placed somewhere in a cupboard or trolley? Again this is a factor that I will need to explore into when researching foldable chairs and other examples of stacking away furniture.
Stacking chairs with Trollies and Cupboards
The next examples use trollies to help stack the chairs.
The benefit of this concept not only allows you to stack a huge amount of chairs but it also allows you to man oeuvre the chairs around if need be. This example would be perfect in terms of using small amounts of space within a church. The only problem I feel with this idea is that the top chair seems quite high, so is it practical enough for someone to reach the top? Obviously you want to save space but you need to be able to reach the chair initially. However, this is just a picture so I am not able to really determine how high this is but it is obviously important to think about.
In regards, to the design the chair looks like a pretty generic style, what has cropped up again is the fact that it has a thin base and because of this it allows you to stack the chair quite easily and it looks neat. Ideally, I would like to use wood as a material, if I was to design and manufacturing a thin frame using wood it would need be able to with stand weight.
This is a very different example of using a trolly to stack the chairs. Even though with this idea you are not able to stack as many chairs in comparison to the other picture above, it seems as if it would be a lot more easier to store because of its rectangular shape.
I believe that this is such a great design and in terms using minimum
amounts of space this would be ideal for the church. Not only does this chair fold away neatly whilst folded you can also stack them and the frames although you to do so.
This is another design idea that I can bare in mind. The specs state that the chairs need to fold or stack away neatly. This idea of a cupboard that hides away the chairs away neatly whilst saving space is a nice element to think about. However, would this produce further costs? Also, Where would the cupboards go whilst all of the chairs are in use? These chairs will be bought in bulk so maybe thinking about how many chairs could fit in a cupboard is also another thing to consider because although they do save space essentially they could end up by taking up more.
Analysis of Research
It is clear that from this research it got me thinking more about how these chairs can stack/fold or even do both. What is important I now know is the shapes and sizes of the frame as these contribute to the stacking. It is also important to be able to insure that the chairs safe when stacked and not taking up too much space. The chairs must also be light in weight so that they can be lifted and moved around easily, but then the material needs to be strong so that it can with stand the weight of the users. Finally, I can also think about find a way to design a chair so that they fit into some sort of trolley or cupboard but then there are more issues in terms of taking up more space within the church.