Cardboard Chair Challenge
OVERVIEW
Corrugated cardboard, made from a natural renewable resource, has one of the best environmental records.
Cardboard has the best recycling rate of any packaging material used today. A hard look at every scrap of
cardboard can lead the creative mind to see it as a valuable raw material. This is your opportunity to discover
the potential of corrugated cardboard.
THE TASK:
Design a chair! This activity asks your group to design and build a full-sized chair from corrugated
cardboard and glue. The chair must support a pre-determined weight that is selected by the team for at least 5
minutes. The person seated will be in a “comfortable” position with his / her back leaning against the back of
the chair. Students will get an opportunity to learn about paper and cardboard as a building material and the
statics and dynamics of structures. This design competition is designed to encourage and reward excellence in
design that integrates function (does the chair work); aesthetics (is it pleasing to the eye); ergonomics (is it
comfortable for the average person); details (are my drawings and actual construction accurate); and fun.
COMPETITION COMPONENTS
1. Form & Function of the chair (comfort & aesthetics) 25 Marks.
2. Presentation of the Solution (academic display / presentation) 50 marks
3. Structural Integrity of the Chair (strength) 25 marks*
*Your weight divided by the weight of your chair equals a strength design factor. High numbers are best.
SCORING SUMMARY
Final team rankings will be based on the total score from the competition components. A maximum of 100
points are available. In the case of a tie, the team with the lighter chair will be declared the winner.
Final team rankings will be based on the total score by adding all of the component scores.
MATERIALS
1. Untreated corrugated cardboard
2. Box cutters
3. Metal rulers, Scissors
4. Adhesive of team’s choice
RULES FOR CONSTRUCTION
1. The chair must have a seat and a back.
2. No non-cardboard mechanical fasteners will be permitted.
3. Glue of any type is accepted.
4. The seat of the chair must be at least 16” from the floor (measured to the bottom of the seat).
5. The top of the back must be no less than 30” from the floor.
6. If any of the above criteria are not met, your design will be automatically disqualified.
TESTING CONDITIONS
1. Each chair will be weighed and the weight will be recorded.
2. Each team should identify a “tester” prior to arriving to the competition. This person will be weighed and the
weight will be used in the structural integrity formula to determine the chair’s efficiency.
3. The tester will carefully sit in the designed chair; as previously tested. The weight distribution on the chair
should be a design issue for each team.
4. Once the “tester” is comfortably seated in the chair, the timer will begin. If the chair withstands the allotted
time, your chair is then compared by the weight.
5. “Comfortably” seated is defined as the tester being seated in the chair and leaning against the back of the
chair and resting. There will be no sudden forces acting on the chair; just one constant force and weight
throughout the five minutes.
6. The chair with the highest efficiency will receive the maximum 25 points. The chair with the second highest
efficiency will receive 20 points. The chair with the third highest efficiency will receive 15 points. This pattern
will continue until 0 points is reached or all of the chairs have been evaluated.
7. Any chair that is not successful will not receive any points for the function category.
JUDGING
1. A team of judges will conduct individual evaluations of the designed chairs.
These individual scores will be averaged to determine the overall winner.
ALL DECISIONS MADE BY THE JUDGES ARE FINAL.
PROCEDURES
Generating Ideas, Working Potential Solutions
a. Research – see what others have done relative to similar contests such as using the Internet, library, local
bookstores, or furniture stores. Write a summary of 3 different cardboard chairs (who what when where why)
http://www.aias.org/chairaffair/
http://www.netropolitan.org/gehry/chair2.html
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/05/recycled-cardboard-chairs-student-designers.php
b. Design sketches – prepare 3 sketches of some possible design ideas of a chair of your own design.
c. Drawings – prepare dimensioned working drawings from your design sketches that will allow you to
construct a model from the plans you prepare.
d. Outline a detailed materials list (include size of cardboard
e. Model – prepare a prototype model made completely out of cardboard and fixatives as per allowed in this
competition.
f. Test – conduct some tests to see how well your prototype conforms to the design requirements of this
competition.
Cardboard Chair Academic Display (25 points)
Objective
Teams will present their chairs and relevant aspects of the design project in a display format. The focus of the
display is to highlight the design process of each team.
Components of the Display
Abstract
A brief synopsis of the project in 500 words or less must be part of the display. It should state the purpose and
the most important features of the students’ research, the main conclusions and recommendations. It should be
written in informative, non-technical terms and be interesting to the reader. Include summaries of chair
research.
Scientific Explanations
An explanation of the team’s approach to address the scientific forces acting on the chair should be included. In
addition, to identify with the theme, the team should discuss the environmental impact of using recycled
corrugated cardboard.
Drawings / Graphics
Each display board should include an orthographic drawing of the designed chair (top, front, and side views).
This drawing should include dimensions and a specified scale. The drawings on the display and the actual chair
should be accurate when the project is complete.
The Design Process
Photographs, tables, processes, etc should be included that demonstrate the team going through the design
process. The design process includes: identifying the problem, the design brief, research the problem,
brainstorm / develop solutions, choose the best solution, modeling & prototyping, testing & evaluating,
manufacturing, and redesigning.
Cardboard Chair Oral Presentation (25 points)
Objective
Each participating team will make an oral presentation about their engineering design project to the class. After
the presentation, teams will be asked questions by the judge(s).
Presentation Guidelines
1. Teams will have a maximum of five (5) minutes to make an oral presentation of their project to the class.
2. All team members must be present and orally contribute to the presentation.
3. Props, models, charts, graphs, and visual aids are allowed. Costumes are not allowed.
4. Due to time constraints, electronic presentations will not be permitted (i.e., laptops, PowerPoint, Internet)
5. The presentation will be followed by a brief question and answer period conducted by the
Judge(s). These questions will be brief and to the point and solely to ascertain student knowledge of the project.
6. Students are discouraged from reading directly from a sheet of paper.
Presentation Highlights
Students should discuss and describe the following topics:

The design process used in designing and constructing chair

How they addressed the scientific forces acting on the chair
Any research or knowledge gained about recycling materials
Recommendations and conclusions
Design 20 Cardboard Chair Challenge
Evaluation
Academic Display
Clarity of Abstract
Scientific Explanations
Accuracy and presentation of orthographic drawings
Organization
Creativity and Overall Presentation
Mark
/6
Comments
/6
/6
/4
/3
/25
Total
Cardboard Chair Oral Presentation
Effective and clear description of specific design process
Effective and clear description of how addressed the various forces
Demonstrated gained knowledge of environmental issues and relationship to this project
Conclusion and recommendations
Delivery/Demeanor
/6
/5
/5
/5
/4
Total
/25
Form & Function of the chair (comfort & aesthetics)
/25
Structural Integrity of the Chair (strength)
/25
*Your weight divided by the weight of your chair equals a strength design factor. High numbers are best
Project Total
/100