Seventh grade engineering students recently wrapped up an exciting cardboard chair project that challenged them to put their creativity, problem-solving, and engineering skills to the test.

Their challenge was simple in concept but anything but simple in execution: design and build a functional chair using cardboard while considering stability, structure, materials, reuse, and sustainability.

Thinking Like Engineers

Throughout the project, students had to think like engineers, moving from an initial design concept to a finished product and making decisions about how to best use their materials. They explored how cardboard could be transformed into strong, stable structures and discovered that successful engineering often involves testing ideas, adjusting, and solving unexpected problems along the way.

Five Chairs, Five Designs

The finished results are truly impressive! The class produced five unique cardboard chairs, each reflecting the creativity and design choices of its student creators. Each chair is also accompanied by a science-fair-style display board that explains the student’s design process, research, and the sustainability and reuse considerations behind the project.

Engineering Beyond the Textbook

This project gave students the opportunity to experience engineering as something much more than a concept in a textbook. They designed, built, experimented, problem-solved, and created something tangible from a material that might otherwise have been discarded. Their finished chairs are a wonderful example of what can happen when creativity and engineering come together with a focus on sustainability.

Coming Soon: See the Chairs in Person

The school is currently exploring options for displaying the chairs and their accompanying projects so that the wider AJA community can see the students’ work in person. More information about the exhibit will be shared soon!