Adaptmultipurposestudio work desk

Design IntentTo design a piece of furniture for the new Cleveland Institute of Art building using reclaimed materials.

A Piece of Cleveland (or APOC) is a local startup company that reclaims wood and other materials from homes and buildings that would otherwise be demolished.

In addition to material reclamation, APOC has been designing and producing its own furniture designs using this material.

APOC provided materials for this project.

What is A Piece of Cleveland?

used wood is as good as new

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Initial research consisted of breaking the new building into four categories: Public (galleries, cafes), Staff (offices), Smart Classrooms (tech-enabled lecture rooms) and Clean Studios.

Research

Once these categories were established, my peers and I were split into teams to survey and interview the individuals working within these spaces to define their specific needs.

multi-level storage

desktop clutter

sharing research

brainstorming

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Initial ThoughtsA common issue within these four areas was a lack of both working and storage space. Many of my initial concepts tried to tackle this through multi-purpose design or designs that packed flat when not in use.

pack-flatpodium

seat reused from broken stool

gallery seating releases from floor

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desk/chair combo staggers

secondary surface

privacy curtains

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RefinementOnce I knew my functional direction, I focused on creating a form that was simple, dynamic and steadfast.

how much force is placed on the desktop?

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desks stagger and nest for storage

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ConstructionBlueprints were developed from the refined design. Based on these plans, materials were purchased from APOC and construction began.

APOC wood after jointing and planing

i’d like to give a thumbs-up to the guys at SawStop

clamps and clamps and clamps and clamps and clamps mmm, tenonsAdapt7

one final mock-up before gluing assembly without work surfaces Adapt 8

AdaptAdapt gets its name from its multi-functional nature, its ability to easily conform to the user’s needs.

Primary ModeAdapt’s primary form provides a shelf for accessible storage, leaving ample space for active work.

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Privacy ModeWhen the studio gets a little too distracting, the user simply has to rotate the lightweight shelf to create a privacy barrier.

shelf and desktop surfaces can be swapped for any desired 1/8” thick material

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Display & Storage ModeWhen meetings arise, Adapt’s primary work surface transforms into a vertical space in which work can be hung or projected.

This vertical orientation also allows for multiple desks to nestle for storage.

showing off polar-bear sketches

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photo courtesy Rob Muller Adapt 12

Featured in:Cleveland Furniture + Millwork Fair 1.0.

Finalist Design Emphasis 2010International Woodworking Fair

‘man, this guy should marry my daughter’

adapted to show stopping mode