The Ramp Shade is designed to extend and cover the area on the side of the school's pedestrian bridge that connects Perkins and the Academic Commons.

Foster, an academic building that used to be a popular hangout spot, is no longer accessible to students. A ramp shade would give students a much-needed place on campus to hang out or do homework outside. The aim of the Ramp Shade is to encourage students to study outside of the classrooms and in the fresh air. The Ramp Shade has two states which are full extended for shade and the other is tucked away under the bridge for storing it. We have to states because our shade is not meant to go through really bad weather so when weather is bad is can be tucked away.

This project started with a cardboard replica of what we thought would be such a great model. We couldn’t get it but unfortunately, the mechanism that moves the shade up and down did not work. This did not work because of the way the strings were attached the shade would not be able to go up. Also, it was not deployable to it could not be tucked away.Then we made another replica out of cardboard, this time we got help with what our shade could be. We decided to go with origami because we were told it would be more bendable and easier to tuck away.  We began researching origami and types of folding techniques could be used for a shade. Although it was challenging and time-consuming, we started to learn how to fold the origami shade. Once we got that we tried connecting it to our model. We still didn’t know how we were going to make this retract and expand. We thought maybe running a string through it would work. Then we realized that the origami wouldn’t just stay up on its own. 

The next task our team worked was a structural frame for the origami and the connections between components. Once we laid out the finalized parts in Rhino, a CAD software, the frame was ready to be laser cut. We also laser cut fabric to fit in each frame, creating the shade. Then we created tape hinges on the cardboard model to experiment with the folding mechanism. We to show that. Then we moved on to laser cutting a wood frame and the fabric sections. Metal hinges were then added to the frames to connect them and allow the shade to fold.

The origami is one that took a long time to research and figure out what to do. To finally realized that we didn’t need to just be folding paper that the origami needed to replica a frame was hard to get to. Once we got there is made it a lot easier to work with and see where to go from there. This project in the end would be great for student's and faculty. It would be easy for anyone to deploy and a great addition to the campus.

The Ramp Shade is designed to provide a shady space for students to relax, eat lunch, or have an outdoor classroom. This project is an origami shade That uses weatherproof fabric in-between a robust structural frame. 

At the beginning of the semester, the idea was to create a shady pace within campus since a once-popular academic building, Foster, is now shut down.  Currently, there is not a cool place for students to eat lunch outside besides the library. We stuck with the vision and did not change it any time throughout the process. 

This project is an excellent idea because everyone on campus wants a place to hang out outside. Later, the prototypes will include picnic tables so students can eat lunch outside without having to sit on the concrete. On the prototypes, there was trouble with the idea of the frame and the design of the origami.  The project first had a pulley system that pulled a large piece of wood to create the shade.  The shade was too heavy and large for the simple and weak pulley system,  and later designed lightweight origami to help. The students were trying to decide between a wooden or acrylic frame.  Although wood would work,  using acrylic to laser cut the frame would be more durable and is overall more aesthetically-pleasing.

Throughout all of these prototypes and ideas, the final project was straightforward and light origami design that will give maximum shade coverage.  The final shade design proposes covering the area closest to the chapel by attaching to the new pedestrian bridge. There is still one problem, that is coming up with a way of fastening the shade to the bridge.  During the final presentation, a teacher had a critique bring up the idea about water, which is a good idea to think about.  The project also can  have poles and have wires stretched out across the area so the shade and be extended out manually by students. 

Our project is called the ramp shade. It is designed to extend and cover the area on the side of the bridge that is between Perkins and Academic Commons. Our idea started when my partner and I realized that there really isn’t anywhere on campus to just hang or do homework outside. We decided on this because Foster use to be where students could sit outside to hang or do homework but we now do not use that building anymore. This would help with getting students outside and out of the classrooms all of the time to get fresh air.

This project started at the beginning of the semester. We first started with a cardboard replica of what we thought would be such a great model. The way we planned on the shade to work and come out didn’t work at all. We couldn’t get the mechanism of the shade to go up and down. Then we made another replica out of cardboard, this time we got help with what our shade could be. We decided to go with origami, so then we started to research origami and what type of technique we could use for a shade. This took quite a while to find what type of folding origami would work best. We finally got help and found a fold that would work. So, we started to learn how to fold the origami. Once we got that we tried connecting it to our model. We still didn’t know how we were going to make this retract in and out. We thought maybe running a string through it would work. Then we realized that the origami wouldn’t just stay up on its own. We started to work on a framing for the origami and how it would connect. We started to work in Rhino and see how we could made a frame and how we would connect each frame. Once we were in Rhino and got the frame finalized we laser cut it. We started with cardboard and work with that. We ended up laser cutting fabric to fit in each frame and the shade. Then we worked on the folding mechanism and how it would fold up and retract. We used tape on the cardboard to show that. Then we moved on to laser cutting the frame out of wood. We then did the same thing with the fabric. Hinges were then added to the frames to connect them and see how it would fold.

When we started to realize what was failing we would usually call for help and see what our next move could be. The origami is one that took a long time to research and figure out what to do. To finally realized that we didn’t need to just be folding paper that the origami needed to replica a frame was hard to get to. Once we got there is made it a lot easier to work with and see where to go from there.