Using Your Resources Wisely
Building Chairs With Duct Tape & Cardboard
by Dana Epley
October 07, 2008
Building a cardboard chair was a design and problem-solving activity in the Industrial Technology class at Silver Lake. The goal of the project was to build a cardboard chair using only cardboard and duct tape that would support the instructor (Mr. Crowe) in a relaxed position. The problem-solving approach was used to complete this activity.
Specifications were as follows:
- Material - cardboard & duct tape only
- Must have seat & back
- Seat must be 16-18" from the floor
- Top of the back must be no less than 30" from the floor
- Chair should weigh as little as possible
- Chair should be attractive
Areas Judged
- Specifications
- Weight
- Design quality & construction
- Written report over activity
Chairs were judged by three faculty members and Mr. Crowe. All three chairs passed the test of supporting Mr. Crowe!
The students were divided into three groups of three students. The students used their laptop and searched the internet for designs. The students used the problem-solving approach to solve the problem of making a chair:
- State the problem
- Collect information
- Develop solutions
- Select the best solution
- Implement solution
- Evaluate solution
Group Members were as follows:
- Team 1 - Ryan Sluka, Kris Johnson & Dillon Thompson
- Team 2 - Connor Morris, Brad Horton, Bryce Adams
- Team 3 - Tyler Brooks, Tyler Ostrander, Brock Grabill
Winners of the cardboard chair activity were:
- 1st place - Team 2 (gold chair)
- 2nd place - Team 1 (red & blue chair)
- 3rd place - Team 3 (red chair)
The "winning" chairs are pictured below...
