Session: Advanced Design/Build, Fall 2024
Builders: 12 high school students
Materials: ¾” birch plywood, 1×2 pine wood, Murphy bed hardware kit from Create-A-Bed including hydraulic arms, hinges, locking bed foot hardware
Description: Our advanced design/build crew has made significant strides in the creation of a unique prototype for Murphy beds, designed specifically for the Tiny Spirit Village, a housing initiative aimed at providing shelter for unhoused and transitional youth. This specialized team navigated the complexities of integrating hydraulic arms, collapsible desks, wall-mount connections, and mattress counter-weighting mechanisms to craft a functional and space-efficient bed solution. The result is not just a bed, but a versatile piece of furniture that addresses both the spatial constraints and daily needs of its users. Through rigorous experimentation and collaboration, this effort has laid the groundwork for the production of a total of seven Murphy beds, which will be built and installed during the upcoming winter months.

In addition to the Murphy bed prototypes, the cohort also contributed their skills to a separate community initiative by assembling redwood picnic tables and benches for the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust. This project, aimed at creating outdoor communal spaces, was carried out in just a few short hours and demonstrated the team’s ability to seamlessly transition between different types of builds. The tables and benches were assembled in the rain by instructors Augusta and Emily, alongside Sam and Windz from Sogorea Te’.