DESIGN NAME: Ziba Ziba
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Foldable cradle
INSPIRATION: Ziba Ziba cradle was inspired in the search for the chic and functional within the realm of the familiar. Along the design process, basic questions were addressed. Why is a traditional solid wood cradle not suitable for today’s way of life? What’s wrong with the low-tech?
Back to the emotions, back to the essentials, forward to the user friendliness and refreshed identity.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Ziba Ziba is a modern rocker bassinet made of thin birch plywood. Simple tool-free assembly and flat packaging makes it a great portable baby bed. Its design is contemporary yet it flirts with the tradition, fusing the retro solidity and decorative character with the comfort and sophistication of the modern. Ziba Ziba is more than a functional piece of furniture. It has a lifetime value and can be handed over with pride from generation to generation.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: Cradle is an intimate, first piece of furniture that welcomes the newborn to the world and gently rocks the baby to sleep. Besides offering a comfortable shelter to the baby it also enables easy handling for the parents. Ziba Ziba is sustainably made of highest quality material and finishes that are friendly to the environment and children. Its construction is stable and compact, which makes it possible for the parents to move it from room to room and to keep their newborn close at all times. Simple tool-free assembly and flat packaging makes it a great portable baby bed for trips to the holidays' or grandparents' house.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The project started in May 2008 as a furniture set for baby twins, born in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Cradles are in continuous use and circulating within young families ever since.
FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Furniture Design
|
PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: Production technology is a combination of a simple three axes milling process and traditional handwork carpentry. All the construction parts of the cradle are first cut (milled) out of 10 mm thick birch plywood board. The canopy rim is manually bent. Plywood parts are hand filed and protection coated with hydro lacquer or oiled.
The cradle is stored dismantled flat. It is assembled manually, without using any tools.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: Package measurements:
Height: 180 mm
Length: 950 mm
Width: 620 mm
Weight: 9.5 kg
Mattress dimension:
850 x 410 mm
TAGS: low-tech, ethno-chic, wood, tools-free assembly, portable, foldable, parents&newborn friendly, lifetime value, sustainable, online availability
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: The research addressed functional and symbolic concerns of the new design.
The study of ergonomics and function led to several design decisions.
The cradle needs to be higher in comparison to the traditional one in order to ease handling with the baby.
The cradle is designed bigger to last longer, until when the baby can sit, kneel or pull themselves up.
It folds flat in minutes for travel, making it easy to keep a familiar environment for the baby wherever you go.
- Its construction is stable and compact so you can easily move it from room to room. It enables you to be near your baby at all times, day and night.
You can rock the baby to sleep, but the cradle will also respond to the child’s own movements.
The canopy rim has a second therapeutic function. Put under the rocker it tilts the crib to help relieve symptoms of baby's reflux.
The crib was tested and meets the required safety standards EN 1130-1.
The research explored also the symbolic significance of the cradle. In regard to the original basic proportions, material choice and ornamentation have to be retained as essential redesign principles. All decorative elements and extras are at the same time functional.
CHALLENGE: How to give a fresh identity to a traditional baby cradle and make it portable.
We wanted a smart low-tech product, achieved through a smart design, sustainable material choice and effective production process. It turned out, the new cradle design is balanced somewhere between craftsmanship and sophistication. Finding the right balance was the biggest challenge.
ADDED DATE: 2016-03-09 09:13:15
TEAM MEMBERS (1) :
IMAGE CREDITS: Image 1-5: Alex Štokelj
|