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Freezing Cold Shop Space? Here's How to Create a Heated Shop Chair

Laura Kampf raids an auto junkyard to salvage a heated car seat

By Rain Noe - December 11, 2018

Enter a caption (optional)

Here's a fantastic project where Laura Kampf demonstrates what we consider solid design thinking: A combination of analysis, problem-solving and outside-of-the-box thinking.

Here's the problem she faced, and how a more conventional thinker would have solved them:

Problem:

Laura works in an unheated shop. The shop is massive, and thus too expensive to efficiently heat.

Engineer's solution:

"We'll heat the whole space using radiant floor heating with energy supplied by solar panels. The equipment will pay for itself in just 25 years."

Architect's solution:

"We'll knock out the south-facing wall, and replace it with energy-efficient glass. The sun's rays will warm her and it re-contextualizes the space by removing the fourth wall, just as Laura 'removes the fourth wall' by speaking to the camera, creating a perfect mirroring of human activity and the structures that enable them."

Interior Designer's solution:

"We'll build an interior 'heating space' room, filled with a heating system, warm colors, images of warm places, handmade blankets created by Kurdish tribespeople and an expensive but cushy couch where Laura can recharge and restore herself."

Laura / Industrial Designer's solution:

"The space is too big to heat. I have observed that I am most cold when I sit down. Therefore, it would be the least expensive, and most efficient, to warm myself when I am sitting down."

You can't exactly pick up a heated chair at your local furniture store, so Laura then DIY'ed her solution into existence, starting at an automotive junkyard:

Freezing Cold Shop Space? Here’s How to Create a Heated Shop Chair Here’s a fantastic project where Laura Kampf demonstrates what we consider solid design thinking: A combination of analysis, problem-solving and outside-of-the-box thinking. Here’s the problem she faced, and how a more conventional thinker would have solved them: Problem: Laura works in an unheated shop. The shop is massive, and thus too expensive to efficiently heat. Engineer’s solution: “We’ll heat the whole space using radiant floor heating with energy supplied by solar panels. The equipment will pay for itself in just 25 years.” Architect’s solution: “We’ll knock out the south-facing wall, and replace it with energy-efficient glass. The sun’s rays will warm her and it re-contextualizes the space by removing the fourth wall, just as Laura ‘removes the fourth wall’ by speaking to the camera, creating a perfect mirroring of human activity and the structures that enable them.” Interior Designer’s solution: “We’ll build an interior ‘heating space’ room, filled with a heating system, warm colors, images of warm places, handmade blankets created by Kurdish tribespeople and an expensive but cushy couch where Laura can recharge and restore herself.” Laura / Industrial Designer’s solution: “The space is too big to heat. I have observed that I am most cold when I sit down. Therefore, it would be the least expensive, and most efficient, to warm myself when I am sitting down.” You can’t exactly pick up a heated chair at your local furniture store, so Laura then DIY’ed her solution into existence, starting at an automotive junkyard: Enter a caption (optional)

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Freezing Cold Shop Space? Here's How to Create a Heated Shop Chair

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Rain Noe

I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.