It's not enough for a solar-powered house to harness the sun efficiently and keep its carbon-neutral occupants cozy and in clean clothes. They also need a place to sit. And sleep. And eat.
That's where Kansas State University students in the interior architecture and product design department are the experts. Nine participants in the department's workshop sequence contributed furniture and interior finishes to Project Solar House, K-State's entry in the Solar Decathlon.
"What started as a request for designs to populate the space with furniture turned into an interdisciplinary effort," said Steve Davidson, assistant professor of interior architecture and product design in K-State's College of Architecture, Planning and Design. "It's been valuable to forge a tie between departments."
Davidson and colleague Rod Troyer, associate professor of interior architecture and product design, got their students involved after Todd Gabbard solicited their input in summer 2006. Gabbard, an assistant professor of architecture, has been the guiding force behind the solar house project since its inception.
"From a practical sense, we were fortunate to have Todd seek our involvement," Davidson said, "because what we do in the workshop sequence echoes this approach on many levels."
That starts with the space under consideration, then addresses needs and materials, and ends with such unique solutions as the dining room set of "lipstick" chairs and "rouge" table made by the furniture design workshop.
Sustainability, reuse and minimally toxic finishes are watchwords, as they are in the design industry at large.
"In the types of material and processes that were selected for the overall designs, there was always consideration for environmental impact," Davidson said.
The dining set offers an example of reuse and recycling. Frames from cast-off chairs were adapted into new seat and table supports. The ash seating and table surfaces came from off-cuts of the house's flooring. "It was just reconfigured, made over into furniture components," Davidson said.
The anxiety of a last-minute push to get the solar house finished was useful, too, if not pleasant. "It's part and parcel of the real world that they will soon head into," Davidson said.
"We're proud of our students' contributions toward completing the interior components of the project," said Lorraine Cutler, head of the interior architecture and product design department. "These students have donated considerable amounts of time and effort to the interior architecture and product design of the solar house. It has truly been a multidisciplinary project."
The results "speak volumes about the efforts of all these kids," Davidson said. "It's been a great opportunity and collaborative experience, and a great building block for the departments within the college. I think everybody hopes to build on this."