Materials Analysis- Draft 1

Kayla Towns

ID 3311.002

GAINES

6 October 2011

Materials Analysis: Library

For my materials analysis, I decided to take a closer look at a location students frequent and use every day on campus: the library. The library is a place for research, studying and quiet time and as students, we all need a place to do these things, so the library seemed to be the right choice for this assignment. In summary, the pros and cons of the materials used on the furniture in the library will be analyzed and discussed.   

To begin, as I already stated, I chose the library because it is frequented by students on a daily basis. When entering the library, there are many types of seating and materials to choose from, but in the end, it was the comfy lounge seating that I deduced would be the most used by tired students. In deciding this, I went straight away to the corner under the stairs to check out the empty seating. Upon my arrival, the chairs seemed to be in pretty good order. A closer look showed that heavy-duty material is used for the cushion and back of the chair and faux leather for the arms and base. The cushion material is made of a heavier, tightly woven material which will make it more durable. It is fairly soft in texture and is pretty comfortable. Because it is made of a thicker material, I concluded that it has a high double-rub count and that it is sustainable. The geometric shape pattern, along with the color scheme of purple, orange, green and yellow, makes for a very aesthetically pleasing look. The down side of this material, however, is that it stains easily. In the future, Scotch guard might be a good investment to keep it clean.

The faux leather is very similar to the first material for the cushions. It has a soft, smooth texture and is very comfortable to lounge on. It is also very heavy-duty in nature and is sustainable. The purple-grey color ties in nicely with the cushion material and grounds the whole chair with a deep, solid color.  The only sign of wear on the leather is a small patch on the arm where it is beginning to tear.

Overall, the choice of materials for the furniture in the library are good ones. They are both appropriate for the purposes they serve and are standing up well to the wear-and-tear of every day student life. Minus a few little problems, the materials chosen for the lounge seating in the library are a definite success.

Material Images