Collapsible Bed - An animation of how a collapsible bed would function to save space. The most challenging design constrain was to allow for the bed to be both a king sized bed for couples wanting to be together as well as a bunk bed configuration for people who would just be roommates.
Collapsible Bed Diagram - the three configurations the bed can be in order from left to right: closed/inactive, open as a king-sized bed, and open as a bunk bed. The bunk bed configuration has been updated from the creation of the animation such that the bed door now houses the rebars and ladders needed for the bunk bed.
Bed Box - Originally the bed box was quite literally a plain box with some holes for the pins to be placed. Considering how the mattresses would move when the bed is closed up, part of the back wall is raised to keep the beds in place. There are also slots for the occupants to place small items onto before going to bed. Tools used for this model: Extrude, Extruded Cut.
Bed Door: The bed door is a 4 inch slab of material with empty space built in for the ladder and rebar to be stored when the bed is not in use. The bed frame closest to the hinge of the door is permanently attached to the door. Tools used for this model: Extrude, Extruded Cut.
Bed Frame - In consideration of children who may possibly sleep in the bunk bed configuration, the guard rails stick up 5 inches above the mattress and the slots are less than 2 inches wide to prevent accidental entrapment as stated by child safety regulations. Tools used for this model: Extrude, Extruded Cut, Swept with a Circular Profile.
Pillow: After spending hours trying to create a fluffy looking pillow with loft and boundary extrusions, it looked more like a carved box than a pillow. I looked up a tutorial about how to model a pillow and the ‘Free Form’ tool was brought to my attention. Now the pillow looks super comfy! Tools used for this model: Extrude, Free Form, Swept with a Drawn Profile.
Mattress – Outweighing the pros and cons of the different mattresses out on the market, it was concluded that latex mattresses are more beneficial and durable compared to spring and memory foam mattress; at a higher cost of course. This mattress is modeled after the Zenhaven all-natural latex mattress. Tools used for this model: Extrude, Extruded Cut, Fillet, Swept with Drawn Profile
Hexagonal Floor Plan 1 – One of the possible solutions to the design constraints. The total livable floor space is over 480 sq. ft. which is the minimum amount of area needed to house 6 people. There are also 4 rooms that allow for 1.5 people per room, which is maximum allowed by federal regulation before the living situation is considered to be severely overcrowded. This design was scraped after the collapsible bed model was completed. The bed didn’t fit once open.
Hexagonal Floor Plan 2 – One of the possible solutions to the design constraints. Regulation is still followed in this design, with the added bonus of a slightly more comfortable 1.2 people per room. This solution allowed for the bed to fit; however, when the bed is open, it cuts the room up into awkward 60 degree angles. It was scraped after completion of the bedroom stairs and loft; it simply seemed too cluttered and cramp even without people living in it.
Inside Bedroom 1 of Hexagonal Floor Plan 2 – to better illustrate how cramped it feels with the bed open, a perspective view was taken at where the doorway is. A person who needs to reach the other end of the room would have difficulty (and some threat of falling out the window in the process) and the ‘closet space’ is quite cramped. Tools used for this image: Set up of Camera and a Point Source Light to imitate Ambient Lighting
Staircase Shelves – In order to utilize as much space as possible, I modeled a set of stairs that also doubled as storage space. The stairs lead up to a small ledge where someone could set up a desk and dangle their feet off the edge to do work. Stair depth and rise regulations were followed when designing the stairs. Tools used for this model: Extrude, Extruded Cut
Semi-Hexagonal Floor Plan – One of the possible solutions to the design constraints that is currently being worked on. Bed space is prioritized to the rectangular section of the apartment while the angled section is given to less needy areas such as the bathroom and kitchen. What is good about this solution is that the best of both rectangular and hexagonal designs is used at once. The rectangular design allows comfort in placing furniture while the hexagonal design provides efficiency in floor area versus perimeter. Tools used for this model: SolidWorks' built-in optimization function to find the best lengths to provide enough area and the least amount of area.
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Optimization of Living Space
The project originated as attempt to solve a hypothetical situation of a self-sustaining, underground city capable of housing a quarter of a million people for thirty years while using the least amount of area and material as possible. The design of the city must also follow current building codes and regulations as applicable. The main challenge was how to utilize the space as efficiently as possible while still providing the people enough room to feel comfortable without violating regulations.
This project familiarized me with the design process and allowed me to practice the consideration of many aspects of design at once, as well as advancing my skills with the visual presentation of CAD models such as animation and rendering scenes.
The project is still a work in progress, as there is no concrete solution. A thorough amount of discussion and brainstorming was done with friends, professors, and anyone who was willing to participate to produce different solutions.
