Curving Xanita board

These are some images I found that demonstrate how to achieve a nice smooth curve and demonstrate how the parallel slices/scores need to be in the inside fo the curve rather than the outside. This would mean that on my model, the slices will be visible however it will maintain its strength.

Flat Pattern

This is the final flat pattern of the chair which fits nicely onto the sheet of xanita board. The only things I need to refine are the curve and the locking system at the back.

1:1 model #2

This is my refined model. I reduced the height of the backrest to accomodate to the size of the sheet of xanita which worked out well actually as I don’t want the back rest to be too inviting so that people want to lean back in the chair as it is not one for relaxation. I also reduced the amount of material at the back which i think works quite nicely too as you get some nice shapes coming through from the side tabs. I have maintained the 3 step curve for the seat etc as I think it ties in well with the rest of the geometric folds of the chair however I will look further into how to achieve a curve without tearing the material. I cut small holes from the corners where the seat, front and side panels meet to reduce the stress but there was still some tearing. The side tab measurements are right as they tuck in nicely one it is all locke together.
I also need to lock the back together to restrict any movement sideways. I will do this discretely inside the unit so that it is not visible. Overall, I am happy with the shape, proportions and form.

1:1 model

This is my first 1:1 mock up of my chair. I think that overall the shapes and forms I have achieved are quite interesting and I made sure that I considered the chair at all angles you look at it. I managed to get the tabs that came off the side of the seat surface to tuck in nicely to follow the folds on the side supporting surfaces as well as tuck in neatly behind to lock it all together. I was able to sit on this chair will some precaution as I didnt want it to break before I took it into class but it was reassuring to know that it held the majority of my weight even though it was made from a thinner, weaker cardboard than the xanita board will be.
I did come across a couple of problems when making this chair and that was the curve at the front. Because it is visible, I will need to work to refine it in order to allow it to bend without tearing. I also need to reduce either the width or height of the flat pattern as it didnt fit properly onto the size that our final xanita board will be. To do this, I will take the supporting surfaces down about 20mm and then reduce the size of the back rest and and the material that tucks down the back.

Concept development and refinement

Here I was refining my concept and looking at the ways in which to develop it further in terms of the shape and ways of achieving the curve. I first tried to mark out where i would need to make the cuts on ome of my existing pasteboard models. I then tried it multiple times in xanita board varying the width of the gap made between the front surface and the seat. I had trouble with this section because where the two curved faces met, the thin layer of card tore.

I experimented with just having scores along the underside of the seat as well as actually removing material. I also looked at having less of a gradual curve and making it curve using just three flat surfaces at different angles. I like this idea as it created a more enticing seat yet still stuck to the 'truth to material' idea.

As I would like to conceal all cuts made to achieve folds by having them all on the interior of the chair, I focused on trying to achieve bends through cutting only the undersides of all the surface. I may have to consider looking at cutting the visible side of the seat to achieve a good curve.

Concept Progression

I chose concept one to refine.

This was my progression in in terms of shape, folds and proportions made in small scale. I used mounting board to execute most of these as it was similar to xanita in the way that it had little flex in it so I couldn't just bend a piece into shape; it was fairly rigid. I began with my initial idea which was too two dimensional and slowly tweaked it so that it became interesting at any angle you looked at it. I tidied up the edges and added tabs where i could to hide them. I also made extra folds in order to play with the light and how it made different shades when hitting different surfaces. From my initial concept, I simply used paper to work out how to make some folds in the side surfaces to take out some of the bulk of the card without removing any material as this would make the chair weaker. I found it difficult to achieve in mount board what i had achieved in paper as it was more rigid, however, I did manage to get a good shape happening through the base of the chair without compromising the strength. I then played with add the tabs coming off the seat to hide the raw edges of the seat. I also added the curve in the seat which made the front and backrest sections curve as well. I also played with the proportions to make it more like a 'perching' stool.