Participatory design of a 3D-printed furniture concept for learning spaces : A study of large-scale additive manufacturing opportunities and limitations

Abstract: Today, learning spaces are stuck in the industrial age with rows of desks and chairs. Differentiated teaching and personalised learning are not effective in traditional learning spaces and should focus on creating future classrooms (Kariippanon, 2017). This thesis is covering how furnishing for learning environments can be improved and designed through a participatory design process with Katedralskolan in Växjö by using recycled materials and additive manufacturing technology. The thesis is also exploring the opportunities of involving stakeholders to create new learning through the additive manufacturing process in interior and furniture design. Together with Katedralskolan and Sculptur, this project is exploring a concept for schools to have integrated education in interior design through semiotics that will contribute to students’ learning and explore large-scale additive manufacturing. The objective is to design a collection of interior products that will inform and communicate at an educational level and how a circular manufacturing technique is possible through 3D-printing using communicating design and semiotics. The aim is also to understand Sculptur’s product development- and manufacturing process through large-scale 3D-printing. The mission statement whereas follows: Develop a furniture concept based on an understanding of the needs of, and participation with, the user group in a co-design process as a case to study the large-scale additive manufacturing techniques together with the given conditions provided by Sculptur. The thesis process has been following an iterative design process called the design thinking process (The Interaction Design Foundation, 2021) and a co-designing process (Sanders, 2018). The design thinking process is a design methodology that provides a solution-based approach to solving problems. The five stages of Design Thinking are as follows: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test. Through studies, surveys, and observations a list of stakeholder needs was created and was used when developing ideas through workshops, drawings, and prototyping. The ideas were then developed into concepts that were tested through both desktop 3D-printing and large-scale additive manufacturing. The concepts were also evaluated by stakeholders as well as through a concept evaluating matrix (Wikberg N., et.al., 2015). The result of this master thesis is the conclusion of the furniture concept as well as the study of large-scale additive manufacturing as an industrial designer. The furniture concept “Unfold lounge chair” is based on stakeholder needs and manufacturing restrictions. It is also an attempt to use theory to make the next generation of pedagogical furnishings using sustainable and circular manufacturing techniques. Through design thinking, the master thesis result was created with a human-centred approach to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology and the requirements for business success (IDEO, n.d.).