Dolly Shelf

2020. To help refugees cope with the problem of constantly moving to new quarters, a sturdy dolly that quickly converts to a set of standing shelves.

Final project for a D-Lab class (EC.750) focused on co-creation and sustainable humanitarian development. I worked on a team of three to develop a response to a problem posed to us by our community partner at the International Rescue Committee in Amman, Jordan. For the more than 600,000 Syrian refugees living in Amman, a central struggle is housing. They are not afforded the same tenant rights as native Jordanians, and landlords often discriminate against them. As a result, a typical family of five has to move an average of three times a year. This huge practical and logistical burden is also literally and emotionally unsettling. Our solution is a dolly, which could make it easier to transport luggage, cardboard boxes, even a mini-fridge, and which folds up flat for easy storage – but that also unfolds to become a set of standing shelves for personal items. On our team, my job was to design the piece and create the prototype. I made it using only a jigsaw and some simple tools.

Materials: Plywood, 3D prints