According to the designers, over three hundred million students across the globe are endangered daily because many schools in earthquake-prone areas are not structurally sound enough to absorb the impact of an earthquake. While students are often instructed to sit beneath tables or desks in case of an earthquake, current classroom furniture can trap or fatally crush children. The EPT, on the other hand, can tolerate diverse “collapse scenarios.” It can be used for both shelter and protection during an earthquake and after: when lined up end to end, several tables create a “tunnel,” allowing safe passage out of an unsafe buildings and access for rescue teams. The table can be used for most everyday classroom activities, and it is lightweight: two children can pick it up and move it on their own.
Gallery label from Applied Design, March 2, 2013–January 31, 2014.
