Couched Constructions: Research and Design Day 2

Saturday Becca and I ventured to the hardware store to see what we could find to complete design one. We were looking for hinges, wheels, and paint primarily.  We were able to find some good options (Becca will be posting some sketches) and think we may have figured out some more details.  After our research shopping trip, we headed back to the workshop and tried to figure out if the items we selected would fit with the pieces we have recovered from the couches. Our biggest concern of the day was wheels and how to attach them. We decided to layer wood onto each corner to reinforce a surface to attach large caster wheels to. The following pictures show how the layered pieces will fit with a sketch of the base of the caster.

We also were able to work with more of the materials we had salvaged from the couch to sort out more of the details of how a sleeping mattress could be constructed for comfort of the user. The leather seat cushions from couch one are actually made up of a thick piece of foam topped with a thin one. We removed the thick piece from the leather pouch. Then we took two of the modified cushions and placed them on top of the frame. The third cushion was folded in half to create a pillow. We plan to sew all these pieces together to create one mattress with a built in pillow. I demonstrate below what it would look like when someone was using it, for reference I am 5'-8"tall. It's actually very comfortable and I almost wanted to go ahead and take a nap! One concern we have at this point is if anyone taller were to make use of this they may not be able to stretch out fully. The surface is rather wide, however, and there should be enough room for most people to at least curl up like I am in the third picture below.

One other modification we may need to make is to place an additional piece of wood on the edge of the frame where the hinge connecting the top piece will be installed.  This will create more room inside for someone to rest comfortably now that a cushion has been added to the base.

We decided the large piece of leather could be used to cover the frame and provide some privacy, protection, and insulation to the piece. The first picture below shows how that may begin to work: the smooth piece that was the back of the couch will cover the top/roof of the frame. The cushion pouches will create a wall when the frame is open in the sleeping position and will also create storage for the user to keep their possessions. They will be accessible from the inside of the frame only to ensure the safety of their belongings. When the frame is closed the storage pouches will tuck inside the frame for additional protection and safe keeping. The rest of the following pictures depict the layers of how this design is going to be constructed. 

One last issue we talked about was how to keep the frame open and secure while someone is inside. We decided that we could somehow insert wood supports in between the storage pouches that would swing out to support the roof and give some rigidity to the storage wall. We still need to figure out how they would attach and 'buckle-in' to the base but here are the first ideas:

After realizing how much it is going to take to get this portion of the installation up and running we have some questions about how realistic it will be to get the other design to work in time for the show.  We may use this piece as the main idea and use the second design as more of a conceptual piece or just show it in picture form.