Couched Constructions: Work Days 6 & 7

In the last two workdays a lot of designing, painting, drilling, hammering, and nailing took place. It was figuring out a lot of little details to tweak the design to make it work and now it's finally finished!  As a reminder, I've included the original pictures of the couches we used to create Mobile Refuge as well as a picture of the finished product below.

As Becca mentioned in the previous post, we painted the entire frame black to give the piece a finished, cohesive feel.  We used green accents in the handle, parking blocks, and roof strap to give the piece a bit of life and contrast.

The following pictures show how the piece works in the wide open, open, and closed stages. The wide open stage (left) shows the roof strap. This piece was included so the roof could be wide open allowing the user to sit on the piece or access belongings stowed in pockets. In the open stage (center) two support legs on hinges swing out and support the roof so the user can lie in the piece. In the closed stage (right) the roof folds down to allow the piece to be easily transported as well as protect the belongings inside.

A pad was included to cover the springs in preparation (left) for the sleeping pillow (center) and cushion (right) which can be folded in half to be used as a seat cushion. 

 We used the large piece of leather salvaged from the first couch as our protective cover.  It was situated on the frame to create a pocket wall for storage and protection from the elements. (large center image below) The sleeping/seat cushion matches the leather and again aids in creating a cohesive feel. Becca demonstrates the seat cushion idea mentioned in the last section (right).

 The image to the right depicts the inside of the sleeping chamber as well as the pocket storage wall. Below you can see how the ventilation flap works to allow the user to have some control over the climate inside the chamber.

 The last three images demonstrate how a person would look inside. There is just enough room for me to either lie comfortably on my back or side.  I would say due to the size of the frames available, this piece would be difficult and possibly uncomfortable to use for larger people. This would be something to consider if this were to be implemented; maybe another prototype could be developed for larger individuals to be comfortably sheltered. While I was in the piece I did notice the leather held my body heat in very well as intended. When we opened the ventilation flap to take a photo, the sleeping chamber cooled down immediately.

There are only a few minor details left to tackle before the piece goes into the show on Friday.  One major thing we foresee at this time is what to do about the stationary piece. We are thinking of including it in a satellite show in a very raw, conceptual form. Overall we are extremely happy with how the piece has come together and are very excited to see what our fellow Couched Constructions groups have come up with for their discarded couches!