Simple Wheelchairs Made From Reused Plastic Chairs Help Injured People in Rwanda
Posted By Ana Lisa Alperovich On March 9, 2012 @ 4:26 pm In Design for Health,Green Products,Recycled Materials,social design | 1 Comment
In order to make wheelchairs more accessible to people in developing countries, two designers are revamping common plastic chairs with a little bit of creative common sense. By affixing the widely available plastic seats to standard wheelchair wheels, Spanish designers Josep Mora [4]and Clara Romaní are able to drastically cut the cost of the products through some simple DIY. Thanks to a workshop settled within a local hospital, this designer duo is giving injured people in Rwanda [5] the freedom to move around by themselves.
Mora and Romaní created a workshop inside Gatagara [6] Hospital that engages patients and staff in the building and fixing of recycled wheelchairs [7]. The design that uses simple metallic corners and screws to fix the seats to the wheels makes cheaper products while using readily available objects. A great sustainable idea that can be followed anywhere in the world, but that particularly works well in places that lack money and resources.
ViaTreehugger [8]
Article printed from Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building: http://inhabitat.com
URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/simple-wheelchairs-made-from-reused-plastic-chairs-help-injured-people-in-rwanda/
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[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/simple-wheelchairs-made-from-reused-plastic-chairs-help-injured-people-in-rwanda/
[4] Josep Mora : http://www.josepmora.info/
[5] Rwanda: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwanda
[6] Gatagara: http://www.tripmondo.com/rwanda/western-province/gatagara/attractions-in-gatagara/
[7] wheelchairs: http://inhabitat.com/hand-powered-bar-claudia-wisb-bike-converts-from-wheelchair-to-sport-bike/
[8] Treehugger: http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/diy-affordable-wheelchairs-made-reused-plastic-chairs-rwanda.html
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