PolyU’s Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation (J.C.DISI) has undertaken the “Furniture for Our Future” Project – for Families of Sub-Divided Units (the Project) and made 2,000 sets of ergonomically designed furniture, consisting of a study desk, a chair and auxiliary accessories, for an improved learning environment for children residing in a sub-divided unit (SDU). The Project was funded by Hongkong Land HOME FUND.

The first batch of 180 furniture sets was delivered to SDU families in Kowloon City District in late November, benefiting a total of 184 children. In collaboration with local non-governmental organisations, the remaining batches will be distributed in Yau Tsim Mong, Sham Shui Po, Siu Sai Wan and Kwai Tsing districts in the first half of 2023.

The Project has successfully built a bridge between academic knowledge and community needs by forming an interdisciplinary research team with members from J.C.DISI, the Department of Biomedical Engineering, the School of Optometry and the School of Design of PolyU to design an SDU-friendly furniture set for children aged four to 16, who are at risk of scoliosis and myopia due to a poor sitting posture caused by limited space and lack of natural light in SDUs. The furniture set is designed to be durable, portable and adjustable in order to fit in with different spatial setups.

The research team believes the furniture set can improve the learning environment as well as the physical and mental well-being of children living in SDUs, increasing their self-efficacy and confidence, and thereby promoting long-term upward youth mobility.