Furniture Design
Overview
This unit explores the principles of furniture design and associated furniture manufacture. The unit will focus on the development of conceptual furniture for specific target markets and/or environments and will involve creative thinking, design for production, human factors and aesthetic design. It will provide students with an opportunity to develop knowledge and skills required for the communication of furniture proposals as well as developing their project management skills. Students will gain knowledge of furniture design, ergonomics, component manufacture, furniture construction techniques, material and process specification, prototyping, supplier interaction, time management and project planning.
Requisites
DIA20001 Construction 2: Building Services and Documentation Packages
Rule
Prerequisite
137.5 Credit PointsAnd
DPD20001 or DIA20001
01-June-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Reflect on the work and influences of prominent furniture designers, and the impact of design movements and advances in materials and technology, on the evolution of furniture design and manufacture
- Review market sectors and environments with a view to furniture innovation
- Apply product design processes, ergonomics and human factors (in the context of practicality, comfort and usability) within the constraints of a design brief
- Produce a furniture prototype using a range of design processes including sketching, production drawings (using established industry conventions e.g. AS1100CAD), fabrication and rapid prototyping
- Evaluate the needs of the intended user, environment and market sector, and the constraints of material and manufacturing processes, for furniture manufacture against sustainable design criteria including a cradle-to-cradle philosophy
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-campus Studio | 3.00 | 12 weeks | 36 |
| Specified Activities Supervisor Meetings | 3.50 | 12 weeks | 42 |
| Unspecified Activities Independent Learning | 6.00 | 12 weeks | 72 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment | Individual | 20% | 1,2,3 |
| Assessment | Individual | 80% | 1,2,3,4,5 |
Content
Topics to be discussed may include:
- History of furniture design
- Furniture design methodologies and innovative product development strategies
- Furniture manufacturing techniques
- Ergonomics and human factors
- Furniture prototyping
- Furniture testing and standards
- Commercial production
Through project based learning students will engage in a number of activities, these will include:
- Individual project design
- Self-directed research
- Technical development
- Mock-up and/or prototype manufacture
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.