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DIS Architecture and Design Spring 2014

Furniture Design in Denmark Workshop

www.DISabroad.org

Faculty: Lars Hansen

NatalieJeffers

Course Assistant: Dani Hill

Meeting Location: V7 - Basement Classroom

Length of Course: 23 January - 20 March

Meeting Time: M/Th 16:25-20:30

Course Description

Inthiscourse,wetakeamodernandpracticalapproachtothe

prototypingofnewchairdesigns.Utilizingpre-formedveneershells

and chair components and standard chair bases, we will focus on

designingreadily—andrealistically—produciblefurniture.Formand

designinspirationwillbecrucialtodevelopingasuccessfulchairthatis

distinctiveinanincreasinglystandardizedindustry.

Wewillstartwithlecturesdetailingthesocial,politicalandpractical

developmentsbehindtheideaof‘designmass-produced’anddevelop

chair designs within this ideology that are at once modern, unique,

consideredandresolved.InkeepingwiththeNewNordicmovementin

design,wewillrepurposeandrefreshexistingtypologiesinanewlight.

Thiswillincludeselectingcolor-waysforthechairs,andpartofthefinal

designwillbeaproposedcolorpaletteforproduction,includingone

colororpatternselectedandappliedtothestudents’chairsforthefinal

presentation.

Wewillvisitvariousmanufacturersandproducersofchairsandchair

parts, and use elements from two major sources for the Danish furniture

industry: shells and seat components from Midform (www.midform.dk),

and leg and base components from J.M. Rør (www.jmror.dk).

Prerequisites

Students must be enrolled in a professional school or department of

architectureordesignatthejunior,senior,orgraduatelevel.Prior

experiencewithfurnituredesign,stationarypowertools,andhandtools

isrequired.Exceptionswillbemadeonacase-by-casebasisthrough

the Architecture & Design department. Enrollment is limited due to

restricted workshop space.

Course Objectives

•familiarizestudentswiththehistoryandphilosophyofDanishfurniture

design

•understandthesignificanceofdesigningwithinindustryparameters

•understandandexplorethecollaborationbetweendesignersand

manufacturers in Denmark

•developa1:1prototypeofachairforoutdooruse

•researchcolortrendsandapplyauniquecolorconcepttothechair

3 Credits

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DIS Architecture and Design Spring 2014

Furniture Design in Denmark Workshop

www.DISabroad.org

Required Readings

All readings must be completed before the class for which they are

assigned.ReadingscanbefoundonDISForum(Blackboard)oronreserve

in the Library.

Approach to Teaching

Thetimespentinthestudioandworkshop,refiningthedesignand

incorporatingpracticalconsiderationsandproportionsareintegralto

our process. Designing furniture is not about a unique concept or perfect

working drawing, and students will not simply be making a model of

theirdesigns,butmakingfunctionalchairs.Outsideofclass,studentsare

expectedtocontinuetoexploreandexpandtheirsourcesofinspiration,

makingsketchesoffurniture,architecture,plantlifeorpatterns—allof

which will contribute to an informed and successful design.

Achairwillbeconsideredsuccessfulifitsstoryanddesigndevelopment

arecompelling,itiscomfortableandfunctional,anditmakescreative

useofthepre-formedmaterialsprovided.

Expectations of Students

Asthestudents’abilitytoarticulateandcommunicatetheirprocessis

animportantobjective,in-classcontribution,reading,andindependent

studies, as well as sketching at museums and showrooms are the basis of

thecourse.Workshoptimeislimited,sostudentsmustbepreparedto

work intensely and independently during these periods.

Field Studies

Theclasswillvisitmanufacturers,museumsandshowroomsinGreater

Copenhagen.

Evaluation and Grading

Thestudentswillbeevaluatedontheirabilitytocriticallyassessand

developtheirdesigns.Gradeswillbebasedonthefollowing:

10% Engagementandparticipation

30% Criticalevaluationandconceptdevelopment

30% Design and workshop process

30% Finalpresentationandproduct

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DIS Architecture and Design Spring 2014

Furniture Design in Denmark Workshop

www.DISabroad.org

Shipping the Chair Home

Ifstudentsareinterestedinshippingtheirchairshomeafterthe

semester, DIS will help to facilitate shipping arrangements. The cost of

shippingthechairhomeisnotcoveredinthetuitionfee.

Disability and Resource Statement:

Anystudentwhohasneedforaccommodationbasedontheimpactofa

disabilityshouldcontactSeanGreen(sgr@dis.dk)tocoordinatethis.In

ordertoreceiveaccommodations,studentsshouldinformtheinstructor

ofapprovedDISaccommodationswithinthefirsttwoweeksofclasses.

Policies

Attendance

Thiscourseisanintensivehalf-semester.Itisthereforeimperativethat

younotmisslectures,studiohours,orworkshopsessions.Previous

semestershavedemonstratedthateverysessionisnecessaryto

complete a chair.

StandardDISattendancepolicyforfullsemestercoursesdictatesthat

youareexpectedtoattendallDISclasseswhenscheduled.Ifyoumiss

two classes the Director of Teaching and Learning, and the Director

ofStudentAffairswillbenotifiedandtheywillfollow-upwithyouto

makesurethatalliswell.Absenceswilljeopardizeyourgradeandyour

standing at DIS. Allowances will be made in cases of illness, but you will

needtoprovideadoctor’snote.

Academic Honesty

DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual

honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own

designs and work, and that they credit all work or thought taken from

others.Academicdishonestywillresultinafinalcoursegradeof“F”and

canresultindismissal.Thestudents’homeuniversitieswillbenotified.

DISreservestherighttorequestthatwrittenstudentassignments

beturnedinelectronicformforsubmissiontoplagiarismdetection

software.SeetheAcademicHandbookformoreinformation,oraskyour

instructorifyouhavequestions.

Electronic Devices

Electronicdevicesareonlypermittedinclassandonfieldstudieswhen

directly related to in-class exercises.

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DIS Architecture and Design Spring 2014

Furniture Design in Denmark Workshop Schedule

Day Date Session Time TopicTh 23 Jan 01 16.25-17.00 Introduction Location: V7 Basement 17.10-19.45 Tradition, Transformation, Testing Lecturer(tobeconfirmed):CourtneyCoyne-Jensen AintroductiontoDanishfurnituredesign’sso-called‘GoldenAge’,witha focusonhistoricalcontinuity,precedenttransformations,andmaterial innovations Required readings: •Krogh, Erik Space – in and around the chair (2007) • Mollerup, Per. Collapsibles. • Mollerup, Per. Offspring, Danish Chairs with Foreign Ancestors In Mobilia 315/316 1984 pp. 7-9, 21-40, 63-70. • Møller, Henrik Steen. Danish Design. Rhodos, 1975.

Mo 27 Jan 02 16.25-17.25 Furniture Design Lecture Location: V7 Basement Lecturer:NatalieJeffers 17.35-18.35 Design and pattern in CPH 18.45-20.00 Presentation of CPH study sketches

Wed 29Jan FieldStudy 8:30-12:30 Fritz Hansen - To be confirmed

Th 30 Jan 03 16.25-20.00 Studio: sketches and sketch models Location: V7 Basement

03 Feb - 08 Feb Short tour: independent sketching on tour

Mo 10Feb 04 16.25-20.00 Studio:designdevelopment

Th 13Feb 05 16.25-20.00 Studio: 1:1 drawings

Mo 17Feb 06 16.25-20.30 Workshop Location:StatensVærkstederforKunst,Strandgade27b(svfk.dk)

Th 20Feb 08 16.25-20.30 Workshop

Mo 24Feb 09 16.25-20.30 Workshop

Th 27Feb 10 16.25-20.30 Workshop

01 Mar – 09 Mar Travel week: independent color research on tour

Mo 10 Mar 11 16.25-20.30 Workshop

Th 13 Mar 12 16.25-20.30 Workshop

Mo 17 Mar 13 16.25-20.30 Workshop

Th 20 Mar 15 16.25-20.30 Final Presentations Location:tobeannouncedonForum

Schedule subject to change with as much notice as possible. All future

edits to the syllabus will be made on DIS Forum only.

www.DISabroad.org