McKenna Klein ’14 (Interior Architecture + Design) joined around 40 other MIAD sophomores who slept overnight in cardboard shelters in 50-degree weather in Catalano Square Friday, September 16. Her only regret is that it didn’t rain hard enough.
MIAD’s 2011 “Shelter Project” marked the beginning of a new tradition. It was the first time that the entire sophomore class was invited to participate in the project. The event has evolved from a yearly Interior Architecture + Design sophomore assignment that has now taken place 11 years.
Industrial Design and IA+D students had to create shelters out of only cardboard and corrugated plastic. Sophomores studying other disciplines participated through course-related projects or individual ideas based around the concept of “shelter.”
IA+D majors had to flex their design muscle, taking into account the aesthetics of the shelter as well as the practical needs. Klein thought about designs of houses when creating her shelter, giving the roof a slope to keep rain from pooling on the cardboard. She made sure there were no openings so heat wouldn’t escape and made the design wind resistant.
“The shelter had to be able to stand up to wind and rain. It had to have ventilation, heat retention and good lighting,” she said.
Klein, 19, was happy with how her shelter fared against the elements. She says that “blocking out the outside world,” especially the noises and cold air, allowed her to sleep peacefully in the middle of Milwaukee’s bustling Third Ward.
“I would have loved for it to rain though, just to see how all of our shelters would have held up,” Klein said.
“Our focus was to create a meaningful, creative, thoughtful experience for sophomores,” said David Martin, vice president of academic affairs. “This project is a great example of broad-based integrative learning, a rich opportunity to work in the company of others on a wide-open theme.”
The Industrial Design students were told to design cardboard disaster relief shelters that could hypothetically last up to four weeks. Andy Bodway ’14 (Industrial Design) and Parker Hren ’14 (Industrial Design) worked together to create an elaborate multi-compartment shelter.
“We thought about what could flatten, ship, and assemble easily,” said Bodway, describing critical aspects of a disaster relief shelter.
Bodway, 34, and Hren, 20, were inspired by a children’s finger fortune telling game for their design. The separate compartments could attach together depending on the number of people needing the shelter.
“When you combine the compartments, it’s over eight feet,” said Bodway, who spent time in the Air Force and exploring different career paths before choosing to attend MIAD. “It’s comfortable. It has a cathedral ceiling, so it’s not like a coffin. You’re not going to get claustrophobic.”
Communication Design juniors and Foundations students enrolled in a Research, Practice and Methods course contributed with their own projects connected to the event.
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