Problem Statement

After returning home from my internship at Formula D Interactive in Cape Town, South Africa, I decided to make a bookshelf for myself. I wanted to independently practice a skill I learned there: drawing inspiration for consumer products from existing architecture.

Action

I aspired to build the bookshelf with recycled materials, cheap hardware and a unique design. As seen in the images below, I modeled the bookshelf with the same proportions and colorway as the Golden Gate Bridge. To make transportation easier, the two halves of the shelf fold and the tension cables can be wrapped together.

Future Iterations

If I were to do this project again, I would use a lighter wood like an oak to minimize the overall weight. Also, while the cables are aesthetically pleasing, there is no need for that much tensile strength; the hinge would fail far before even a single one of the cables did.

Final Bookshelf

 

Preliminary Sketches

 

Materials Pre-Sanding and Painting

 

Painting the Water Beneath the Bridge

Final Paint Job on the “Bridge”