JUAN CARLOS NOGUERA

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  • Appropriate Technology
    • Paediatric Chair / Co-creation
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Paediatric Chair / Co-creation

Co-creative design process for Design without Borders (Norway)

18-month project comissioned by Design without Borders (Norway). 

Worked alongside other designers and Disabled wheelchair technicians in 

Guatemala (Transitions Foundation) to develop a new pediatric wheelchair 

adapted for children with special needs in Developing countries. 

Capacity building workshops with technicians were ran, ranging from 

basic sketching/idedation, to technical drawing, to CAD Drawing. The 

team of designers aimed to create knowledge transfer to the local NGO 

through research exercises and activities. 

After extensive market research, a team effort of sketching an ideation lead to 

over 200 sketches/ideas.After the initial ideation, Juan Carlos took the collective 

sketching effort into basic 3d models, in an effort to emphasize to the workshop's 

technicians the importance of technology and visualization tools. 

Ideas from different team members were combined into over a dozen different 

wheelchair variations.The final pre-production prototypes feature a tilt-in-space 

reclining mechanism, ideal for children with cerebral palsy and other conditions 

where posture change and weight transfer throghout the day is vital. 

Made out of carbon steel and utilizing bicycle components, these 

wheelchairs are rugged, and easy to maintain and repair. They are also 

built with simple hand tools and standard welding processes.

The contoured seats maintain correct posture for the child, keeping 

the back straight and the legs parallel to each other.The upholstery is 

made with traditional, hand-woven mayan textiles from Guatemala. 

This model was featured in the "Design without Borders" exposition, 

at the Design and Architecture Foundation of Norway center in 

Oslo, Norway - October 2012. 

Pilot production has begun in Guatemala, by the Transitions 

Foundation, a non-profit organization aiming to aid disabled 

Guatemalans in need. 

Copyright © Juan Carlos Noguera - All rights reserved.