Oakridge International School Students' Creation to Help Tackle Space Issues in Urban Homes

Oakridgers Renee and Tanmay of Grade 4 created an industrial design model, titled BED-SI that can be used as a bed, sofa, and table and can also be easily stowed away overhead, thereby offering an affordable and space saving solution for small space homes in urban cities.

Growing urban population and reducing land spaces are leading to our homes getting smaller and smaller each year. According the NSSO (National Sample Survey Office) 33 percent of Indians live in houses of area less than 580 square feet. More than 60 per cent space in the house gets occupied by furniture alone, leaving very limited space for movement.

Renee and Tanmay decided to address this growing urban challenge. They were looking at creating a design that could be used for multiple household purposes, light weight and also can be easily stored away. After multiple rounds of brainstorming and observing other models, they came up with BED-SI, a simple cost-effective design with multiple functionalities. The unique designing of the structure, allows the user to use it as a dining table or as a bed. The light plywood material used reduces its weight, thereby making it easy to move from one place to another within the house. And the best part, the unique pulley based system allows for easy storage, thereby creating more free space when the structure is not being used.

Renee and Tanmay always wanted to keep their model affordable and designed keeping this in mind. Their model is expected to cost around Rs. 2881/- and has won the first prize in Bangalore Design Championship under Industrial Design category. The event was conducted by Minbox in association with NASSCOM gaming forum.