chris kujawski - industrial design

Modular Dorm Furniture System

Modo is a modular dorm furniture concept
that challenges the way universities
currently approach residence hall living.
It is a service based system where a third
party company leases a unique solution to
the student that is at once customizable,
sustainable and universal in it's design.
Winner of a University of Cincinnati
Director's Choice Award during
DAAPWorks, 2004

Modo is: Customizable

Students choices when it comes to
customizing the furniture their dorms come
with are generally limited to either lofting
or not lofting their beds. Big deal. Modo
offers an unprecedented degree of
freedom for students to choose exactly
when goes into their rooms on an
individual basis. Choosing which
components they need to online before
moving in allows them to plan what to
bring to school and ensure that there is
enough room for it. This essentially
eliminates the need to bring additional
dressers, milk crates and plastic Walmart
bins that don't fit into the space well
physically or visually. The modular aspect
of the furniture and the rolling casters that
many of the components have lets the
student constantly upgrade and update
their space throughout the school year as
they see fit; they're never locked into just
one configuration.

Modo is: Sustainable

The service based model shifts the current
paradigm of universities purchasing
residence hall furniture to one where the
furniture is provided and maintained on a
yearly basis, extending the useful life of
the products. The materials used are LEED
certifiable: Woodstalk composite panel is
made from the byproduct of wheat
harvesting without any formaldehyde.
Also, since it is designed for disassembly,
damaged parts can be repaired quickly the
system can be packed flat for efficient
transportation.

Modo is: Universal

The principles of Universal Design state
that an object or environment should be
useful for people with diverse abilities,
flexible in use, simple and intuitive and
make sure that an appropriate size and
space are provided for approach, reach
manipulation and use regardless of a user's
body size, posture or mobility. The point
at which many so-called universally
designed products fail is that they tend to
stigmatize the user which may do more
harm than good. Well designed products
should be universal by nature, they should
not segregate or call attention to any
special needs the user may have.

Modo solves this problem in the dorm
room by allowing for a variety or
configurations of furniture from the same
base components. Every student starts
from the same point, eliminating
segregation and greatly reducing the
potential for stigmatization because of
specific needs.

For example, a student in a wheelchair
could choose the standard bed size and
arrange the storage units underneath so
that they are easily accessible from a
seated position. He or she could also
choose to configure the desk so it is
entirely open underneath, allowing for a
full range of free movement. The student
chooses from the same options as
everyone else but can still build a room to
suit specific needs without calling
unwanted attention to them.