Daniel Kotrebai Final Project - Fab for Space -

For my final project, I decided to create something to optimize the space in the pool to make it more efficient for storage, specifically during swim meets. During swim meets, it is challenging to store objects, especially towels, because they have to be hung so that they get the chance to dry. The only place to hang them is on the railing behind where swimmers sit, but this blocks the view of any fans in the stands. In addition, coach always makes us wear shoes to help us stay warm between event, but shoes often get wet when they are taken off during events because it can be hard to find a place for them where they won't get splashed or dripped on. My solution to this was to create a system of cubbies/shelves with hooks to hold shoes, hang towels, and store any other miscellaneous items. I looked through books that Mr. D gave me and images online to give me some ideas of where to start.

I started the design process by drawing some sketches to get ideas down on paper. I decided that I liked cubbies better than shelves and that I wanted to make square cubbies, roughly 12 by 12 inches, with two rows of cubbies. Originally I was going to have a back for the fixture and have the hooks coming out from the side, but I then realized there was a much more efficient way for me to set this up. I was going to get rid of the backboard because such a large piece of wood would be too difficult to hang, and then just simply have the hooks coming straight down from the bottom of the cubbies. This would also be an improvement because it means that the wall no longer blocks one of the sides of the hooks, so more things can be hung up.

From here I started on a more official drawing that included dimensions. I did this drawing accounting for the wood being 3D and having its own thickness. I altered the sizes if the cubbies based in this, accounting for the space that the width of the wood would occupy. I consulted other members of the swim team and some of my classmates about the cubbies, and they gave me feedback and helped me to decide on the size that the cubbies would be.

I then went over to the pool to the area where I wanted to create the cubbies for and measured out an area 48 inches wide, the length Mr. D gave me to use, and 24 inches tall, the height I had decided on for the two rows of shelves I wanted to make. I measured out the area and then marked it with tape so that I could envision the shelves there. From this, I realized I had the space to add another self to each row if wanted.

I also did research about bins that could be put in each cubby and discovered that there were cheap options on Amazon that were the right dimensions to fit my design.

The final step of the design process that I had time for was making a small scale model out of cardstock. I made the model using tape because as I only had 2 classes of work time for my final project because I had just finished my previous project, my watch-shaped clock. I also designed my own hook, using wires I found around the Fab Lab and decided that I wanted to have each hook made up of three hooks. I wish that I had more time to continue my project as I had really come to enjoy the time I spent working in the FabLab, and I think from were I was in the design process, I would have added more shelves to my design as discussed earlier and then started to work in illustrator and others software to design my cubbies. I would also have figured out what method I wanted to use to assemble the cubbies, my original ideas for this being press fit.