︎ Shelf / Life
A response to aging attenuation and intergenerational inequity by enabling reach.
By Scott Crandall ︎
This project was born out of the recognition that different ages have disparate interactions with the same environments. Through our ”material interactions” - the physicalities of how we participate in our environment - we are tied exclusively to the rigidity of the surfaces we engage with.
So, by acknowledging our material interactions, we can better understand the deficiencies in the environment and implement systems to improve intergenerational equity and participation.
A possible obstruction to our material interactions might be material accessibility. If you think about it, most of our material interactions involve reaching for an object located on something else, and the reason we know the action is feasible is because of something called motor programming theory. This suggests that our ability to succeed in these interactions is because of adequate mental representations of the movements involved with them. And apparently, older generations are worse at making accurate predictions than younger ones.
So one way of improving these mental representations is by improving the perception of accessibility, as well as the actual flexibility of the interaction itself.
Concept Image / 2020
This produced an idea for a vertically operable surface, that can be used for more than just typical shelving. Shelving is just a flat surface, but it has innate rigidity. Here, each unit is a single broad surface, which can be lowered for access and raised when not in use. This also enables them to perform as work surfaces or supports for hanging elements. They can be manually operated by efficient mechanical systems or electrified for remote operation. In addition, this is not a bespoke system. Installations could be dynamic to accommodate variations per industry use.
Design to Outcomes
While this proposal is intended to solve a specific problem, it works to engage a broader issue of individual inequity and infrastructural inefficiency. Adapting this proposal to provide functionality for the already able-bodied and not only those with less physical ability (which includes both older individuals and those who may have some form of disability) provides benefit to the overall workplace.
While this proposal is intended to solve a specific problem, it works to engage a broader issue of individual inequity and infrastructural inefficiency. Adapting this proposal to provide functionality for the already able-bodied and not only those with less physical ability (which includes both older individuals and those who may have some form of disability) provides benefit to the overall workplace.
Works Cited
1. Keller K, Engelhardt M. Strength and muscle mass loss with aging process. Age and strength loss. Muscles, ligaments and tendons journal [Internet] 2014;3:346–50. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3940510/
2. CDC - Healthy Places - Healthy Places Terminology [Internet]. Healthy Places2019 [cited 2020 Mar 9];Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyplaces/terminology.htm
3. Kundig T. Olson Kundig — Chicken Point Cabin [Internet]. olsonkundig.com2015 [cited 2020 Mar 9];Available from: https://olsonkundig.com/projects/chicken-point-cabin/