As part of UNIDO’s Youth Rising Project in collaboration with the Liberian government to strengthen TVET, a four-day design-and-build course was conducted to develop a new stackable chair for schools and libraries. Using a seating jig, participants evaluated ergonomic angles, defined design criteria, and prototyped a solution. The resulting chair improves comfort compared to traditional near-vertical desk-chairs and employs locally produced rubber wood panels for sustainability. Combining simple fabrication with advanced shaping for ergonomic comfort, the prototype illustrates the feasibility of producing durable, high-quality learning furniture with local skills and materials, while fostering capacity building and future service-learning initiatives.

TIME FRAME: 2023
LOCATION: Liberia

CONCEPT & DESIGN: Philipp Reinsberg
PARTICPANTS: James S. Fallah, Lakeh S. Jones, Paul Khaukha, Sylvester F. Kennedy, George Quayee, Philipp Reinsberg, Success T. Dee, Romes Wonalo

Commissiond by UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION
PROJECT OFFICER: Stavros Papastravrou
CTA/PROJECT MANAGER: Roger Ndege