AAE 495/695:
Special Topics Class Outdoor Furniture
Group Project: Dillon D, Andrew W, Sara B, Edward O, Irene N, Mia, Janice
Prof. Joshua Vermillion
Spring 2022
The objective for this class was to successfully create outdoor furniture made out of tile that would be showcased at the tile convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team I was apart of was Team S. We were in charge of building the main center piece for the University’s booth. The wall was denoted the Serpentine wall and would also have to include several other groups outdoor furniture attached to the wall.
The furniture was to be constructed using Wedi board a very durable/light material made out of foam, fiberglass, and cement. During the course of the project we used Rhino3D to create an accurate model. The 3D was then used to create cut sheets and determine how many tiles we would need to construct the S-wall and what color those tiles would be/measurement.
Throughout the project we worked closely with professionals in the field of tiling who taught us how to properly cut tile, mix cement, grout, and keep our furniture together. The project was equipped with a budget and we selected our tiles accordingly. As a group we agreed we wanted to create a gradient that went from light to dark and dark to light on the S-wall to create visual appeal.
Another one of the challenges we encountered when designing the S-wall was that it had to be movable and be able to hold other groups furniture against the wall. We worked with our professor and carpenter to create a solution. That solution would be separating the wall into multiple segments to disperse the weight and make it movable as we estimated the tile to weigh a sizable amount when applied to the Wedi board. The wall would then be put back together by bolts in the inside, like pieces of a Lego set. In order to do that the top of the wall pieces would have to be removable to reach inside and tighten the bolts. This same solution was applied to some of the attached furniture pieces on the wall.
One of the great takeaways of this project was working with so many different collaborators who each had their own set of skills, some students were interior design majors, architecture, landscape architecture, theatre, etc. It was a very unique experience in that aspect.
