#NEF The first results of the object design workshop: furniture for people with IDP status

       In September, as part of the New Economy of Ivano-Frankivsk project, the team of the Metalab urban laboratory held the first workshop on industrial design. The result was the production of furniture samples (prototypes): a bed and a shelving unit for the accommodation of people with IDP status. After testing, the furniture will go into mass production.

       Product design is one of the key topics within the project "New Economy of Ivano-Frankivsk - Supporting New Clusters of Innovative Economic Activity in Ivano-Frankivsk", funded by the European Union's Mayors for Economic Growth programme.

       What is the essence of the industrial design workshop? For two weeks, a team of architects, designers, and technologists developed prototypes of furniture to be used in homes occupied by people with the status of internally displaced persons (IDPs). Specifically, they created a concept and design of furniture for one of the residential facilities for people who were forced to leave their homes.

       What are the stages of furniture design? Analysis of the living conditions of people with IDP status, market research and consultations with other initiatives, consultations with designers and managers of several local industries, legal advice.

       Why is an industrial design workshop important? One of the main objectives of the New Economy of Ivano-Frankivsk project is to increase the capacity to create and improve end products based on the principles of sustainability, circular economy, and universal design. It was a challenge to create a methodology for conducting such workshops, and as a result, the team developed a working methodology to continue to implement such formats and prototype innovative products.

       The result of the workshop: sketches of a furniture prototype - a bed and a shelf - were developed and sent to production, and samples (prototypes) of this furniture were made.

       When creating the pilot model of the furniture set (prototype), the following criteria were followed: it should be modular and produced locally in Ukraine; it should be compact to meet the needs of small living spaces; it should be adaptable to the needs of the specific people who use it; it should be easy to manufacture; and it should be balanced in terms of price and quality.

       It is important that local businesses are involved in the production of both the pilot and serial models. After analysing price proposals, the final prototype of the protopipe was handed over for production to a local manufacturer in Ivano-Frankivsk that works with wood.

       In October, the team presented two prototypes for testing. After the testing process and, if necessary, corrections to the sketch, improvements, adaptations, etc., the drawings will be transferred to mass production.

       The product design workshop was held within the framework of the project "New Economy of Ivano-Frankivsk (NEF) - Supporting New Clusters of Innovative Economic Activity in Ivano-Frankivsk", funded under the European Union's Economic Growth Measures programme.

       The main objective of the NEF is to strengthen local economic processes to stimulate the innovation economy and encourage the creation of high value-added products in Ivano-Frankivsk. It also supports new clusters (networks) of local businesses, innovators, researchers, and strengthens their interaction, in particular in the areas of applied science, product design, and sustainable construction. In order to become a city of innovation, Ivano-Frankivsk needs to have competitive innovators, researchers and entrepreneurs after the war.

       The project is being implemented jointly by the Executive Committee of Ivano-Frankivsk City Council, the innovation centre Promprylad.Renovation, the urban laboratory METALAB, the economic development agency PPV Knowledge Networks and the Teple Misto platform. This publication was created within the framework of the project "New Economy of Ivano-Frankivsk - Support to New Clusters of Innovative Economic Activity in Ivano-Frankivsk" (NEF), funded by the European Union's Mayors for Economic Growth Programme.

       The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of METALAB and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.