YEARBOOK 2016 - 2017 | XJTLU DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE

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Final review of cardboard shelter designs by primary school children.
Photographs by Milan Ognjanovic.
CARDBOARD SHELTERS
2016-2017 YEARBOOK Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University Department of Architecture 西 交 利 物 浦 大 学 建 筑 系
Level 1
( Year 2 | Semester 1 )
Event Organiser
Christiane M. Herr
Teaching Team
Philip Fung
Number of Students
219
The Cardboard Structures event is an annual event conducted as part
of the module ARC104 (Structures and Materials). It is the culmination
of students’ first attempt at building a life-size structure made
primarily from cardboard, without the use of glue and relying purely
on mechanical connections. This year, the task was to build shelters for
school children of about 10-11 years old. Besides additional connection
materials such as metal screws, cable binders and string, the bridge
structure must be made entirely of cardboard. Students work in teams
of five to seven, and collaborate on all stages of the design. The project is
run in cooperation with Suzhou SIP Foreign Language School, with their
primary-level 6 students performing both as ‘clients’, giving students
initial creative inspiration, and eager test subjects once structures are
completed. The shelter design proceeds through a series of interim
models, including a review of half scale prototypes at the collaborating
school. The final review takes place at XJTLU and consists of a playful
load testing and client assessment by the school children. During the
event, the children also vote for the “Best Cardboard Shelter 2016
Award” by attaching stickers to their favourite shelter designs. In this
process, architecture students learn essential skills such as design work
in teams, planning and managing the execution of work, assembly of
1:1 scale models as well as matching their design ideas with functional
requirements as well as the preferences of the users of their structures.
Other Activities