Trends and technology: using furniture design to inform a rigorous design education process

Teaching furniture design is both a means to an end, and a vehicle for supporting other educational agendas. Whilst students may be learning skills specific to a particular vocation; in reality a furniture design project can also be utilised to support the development of a palette of skills essential to any design discipline. Furniture design is an ideal tool for teaching the theory of materials and construction, human interaction and for driving agendas such as sustainable design. At Swinburne University it is offered to both Industrial Design and Interior Design students in the second or third year of undergraduate study, linking trends and technology across a multi-disciplinary student cohort. The integration of students from different design disciplines allows significant peer based learning opportunities, but adds to the teaching challenge, as students differ in skills and technical knowledge, design methodology and workshop proficiency. Furniture design and prototyping allows a rare opportunity for a rigorous and critical appraisal process, not often found in student projects. Built furniture can be evaluated for ergonomics and comfort, and structurally loaded and tested for strength, stability, user safety and structural integrity. Construction methods and material choice are easily appraised and designs evaluated against an agenda of sustainability, appropriateness to environment, and user and market needs. In many instances, designing and prototyping furniture allows design students their only opportunity to realise and test their designs in a real world context. Critical appraisal by non-designers through public exhibition is an excellent validation tool for both faculty and student.