Group 22
01:01

We’re diving into the exciting world of furniture design, aiming to create a dynamic modular system tailored for the vibrant “SHOP” gallery in Preston. With prototyping as our guiding principle, we’re gearing up to bring our designs to life in full-scale 1:1 models. Beyond just furniture, our project is about cultivating a space where artists can unleash their creativity, pushing boundaries in their exhibitions. Simultaneously, we’re dedicated to ensuring users feel not only comfortable but also inspired as they explore the gallery’s ever-evolving atmosphere. Join our team and take part in this journey!

Saul B / Alina I / Gwyneth C / Akhshay George N / Shahd Fadhel Malalla Saleh Mohamed A

Saul B
Hello! We are ‘1:1’

We are a team of master’s students from a range of different backgrounds, but all have an interest in multifunctional design.

From left to right:

Alina: I love designing furniture because I can bring my ideas to life and use them myself.

Gwyneth: I love designing tangible objects that can be used in multiple ways.

Shahd: I love the concept of a piece of multifunctional furniture that can adapt to different needs.

Akshay: I love details and enjoy any chance I get to do a mock-up.

Saul: I really enjoy modelmaking and using physical models to develop designs.
Posted 9 Mar 2024 11:28
Akhshay George N
Client and Site

The site is located on the corner of one of the oldest streets in Preston. Previously the offices for an iron foundry over the road from the late 1800s to 1960s, a charity shop took over the premises and became well known across Preston. Charity Shop Rwanda occupied the building until 2020, when SHOP was established, keeping the letters from the previous sign.

The building and studio are now a colourful, versatile place that adapts to each new user, reusing and reapplying materials throughout.

SHOP Preston is looking for a set of multifunctional display units/furniture to fit in their window that will suit all the events they cater for from exhibitions to workshops and pop-ups, able to adapt and evolve as their needs change. As part of this brief, we will be producing a 1:1 prototype of our design that we create over the two action weeks.
Posted 10 Mar 2024 22:04
Gwyneth C
Site Analysis

A site visit in the first part of the year really helped us familiarise ourselves with the space at SHOP, taking measurements and understanding how the building operates to make sure we can create usable multifunctional furniture that fits into the space.
Posted 10 Mar 2024 22:20
Shahd Fadhel Malalla Saleh Mohamed A
Refining the Brief

Meeting with Sally and Ecaterina at the site, we talked through some initial ideas of ours to develop the brief and define the outputs. We were able to see how they currently use the space as well as tell us of any challenges they have, or places they feel need improvement.
Posted 10 Mar 2024 22:24
Alina I
It was great to meet Sally and Ecaterina from SHOP Preston CIC, a small-scale community event space in the offices of the North West Design Collective (nwdc). Established to create an affordable venue for cultural and social activities, SHOP is constantly evolving and looking for new ways to provide functional spaces for a variety of users of the space, including painters, musicians, photographers, sculptors, workshops, pop-up shops and more, all within a two-week period.

We had a great chat about the project and aims, and look forward to working with them over the coming weeks!
Posted 10 Mar 2024 23:03
Saul B
1:20 Site Model

To help with the design process and understand how the space can be used, we've created a simple 1:20 model using measurements taken from our site visit earlier in the year.

As part of the action weeks, this model, along with its digital twin, will be used to iteratively test the multifunctional furniture we create before scaling up to a 1:1 prototype.
Posted 12 Mar 2024 15:59