The American Institute of Architecture Students and the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation present

2009 corrugated board
chair design competition: The Chair Affair™
a competition sponsored by the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation

frank o. gehry*		idee di cartone*		joel stearns*

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SELECTIONS BY THE JURYS

The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) and the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation (ICPF) are pleased to announce a student competition for the Spring 2009 academic semester. Judging will occur in two stages with the top six designs displayed and judged at the 2009 AIA National Convention and Design Exposition in San Francisco prior to determining the winning design. The postmarked deadline for the competition is March 12, 2009.

Sponsored by the ICPF and administered by the AIAS, the program will challenge students, working individually or in teams, to explore a variety of issues related to the use of corrugated board (a non-traditional building material) in design and construction and production. Additionally, the competition introduces students to the dynamic corrugated industry. This industry offers a breadth of career opportunities to students graduating in architecture and design. For more information on careers in the corrugated packaging industry please visit www.careersincorrugated.org.

Overview

"We must learn, or re-learn the habit of regarding waste material as potentially valuable resources. The world cannot afford the luxury of a throw-away society."
- Andrew Portegus, Recycling Resources Refuge, p.116

Corrugated board, made from a natural renewable resource, has the best environmental record in packaging and display. Corrugated is largely manufactured using high percentages of secondary fiber (including old corrugated containers, old newspapers and even straw), thereby diverting these materials from the municipal solid waste stream. Almost 77% (24.7 million tons) of all corrugated produced is recycled. The average package or display consists of 43% recycled fiber. Corrugated board has the best recycling rate of any packaging material used today. A hard look at every scrap of corrugated can lead the creative mind to see it as a valuable raw material with great versatility and flexibility for design. This is your opportunity to discover the potential of corrugated board and more about an exciting structural design career in corrugated packaging and display.

What is Corrugated Board?

Corrugated board is easy to recognize. It is made of an arched paper layer, called “fluting,” between smooth sheets, called “liner.” This rigid corrugated paper composition, most commonly used to make packaging and displays, has one layer of fluting between two smooth sheets. But there are many types of corrugated available, each with different flute sizes and thicknesses.

Corrugated board is an extremely durable, versatile, innovative and lightweight material used for custom- manufactured shipping containers, packaging, and point-of-purchase (POP) displays, in addition to numerous non-traditional applications ranging from pallets to children’s toys to furniture.

Structural designers create unique packages for customers that protect and display products in new and visually exciting ways. They support the sales staff by designing and producing box and display samples that can be used in client presentations. They also develop specifications to ensure production success of the approved design. For more information for architecture students on structural design careers in corrugated packaging and display, visit the listing of careers at www.careersincorrugated.org.  

A "Chair"

Design a “chair.” The Chair Affair’s™ definition of a chair is anything that elevates a user of undetermined size off of the ground, comfortably, for an extended period of time. The rest is up to you—our ambiguity is your design opportunity.

In addition to introducing architecture students to structural design careers in the corrugated packaging and display industry, the objectives of the competition are to encourage and reward excellence in design at a small-scale, which integrates function, aesthetics, structure, ergonomics, details and fun. Competition participants will have the opportunity to:

• Investigate an exciting career opportunity in corrugated packaging and display
• Investigate new construction materials with the possibility of a future in contributing to sustainability and making a greener planet.
• Investigate new building materials, systems, and methodologies.
• Understand the impacts of construction methods, joinery, and material choices on furniture function and aesthetics.
• Become familiar with the packaging and display elements of corrugated board.
• Develop an awareness of the abundance of leftover corrugated board and its potential for reuse.

Rules

• Previously used corrugated board is strongly encouraged--don’t buy corrugated board, recycle it!
• No non-paper mechanical fasteners will be permitted. 
• Glue of any type is accepted.

*Photographs copyrighted by their respective owners.
"The Chair Affair" and "Chair Affair" are trademarks of the American Institute of Architecture Students, Inc.
© 2006-2009 American Institute of Architecture Students