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.