A student from the Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Thammasat won the Futuretech Design Talent Award 2023.

Monday 21 August 2023

     Phanwira Ngaoprasert, a 3rd year student in Interior Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Thammasat University received the 1st  prize with the work, "MECHAIR" from the 1st Futuretech Design Talent Award 2023, a furniture design project for GEN Z under the concept of flexibility in use, environmentally friendly, reflecting identity, with convenience and technology. Over 20 institutions submitted their entries to the contest organized on August 4, 2023 at the FUTURETECH Showroom.

The Story Behind ‘MECHAIR’

     MECHAIR derived from the concept of Origami, the art of paper folding and inspired by taking diagrams from leaf shapes into designing a portable chair that is flexible for Gen Z. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic that causes many people or organizations to work from home and encounter problems that need to be stuffy working in the room and not socializing.

     MECHAIR provides you the flexibility to work anywhere, whether on the skytrain or in the middle of a meadow in a park. It adds more options to work, making the life of the user more inspirational. It also has a folding function and supports comfortable portability with a glimpse of fashion in mind.

The Uniqueness of ‘MECHAIR’

     The highlight is the shape of the chair derived from the diagram of the leaf combined with a folding technique based on the art of origami. This makes the work unique and flexible to use, and supports a variety of functions that include folding, carrying, and sitting with up to 3 types of adjustment: upright position, reclining position and taken as an extra chair.

     MECHAIR helps users sit more comfortably and can be carried to sit and work outside the home, not feeling stuffy working only in a square room. In addition, the chair is made from PET plastic, a recycled material. This makes this furniture unique in terms of saving the world as well. Currently, MECHAIR is in the experimental stage where testings are undertaken in order to ensure the meeting of the needs of GEN Z according to the initial concept prescribed.

     “I feel so proud of myself. Thank you to my friends, family and professors who have been mentoring and encouraging me in creating the work. In addition, supplementary knowledge has also been added by the committee, as well as friends and seniors from other universities who participated in the contest. This makes my design perspective more open and more open to comments,” said Panwira Ngaoprasert.