'A frame' is an update of korea's traditional moving tool jigae

seoul is not only a city of modernized facilities but also a city with many narrow alleys and stairways. however, there is no modern moving tool for these confined places, so the traditional moving tool — jigae — is still in use. despite its usefulness and necessity in daily life, the jigae is still perceived as an outdated object but it hasn’t changed nor undergone any big paradigm shift in its structure and design. ‘A frame’ is a project that modifies and updates the jigea, making it useful for modern lifestyles.

A frame is a project that modifies and updates the jigea, making it useful for modern lifestyles
(above and main) image by dongchul kang

conceived by ohhyon kwon, beomjun cho, and nahyun go, ‘A frame‘ is a solution that aims to lead the change. this new moving tool is lighter and more stable, focusing on users’ convenience. first, conventional ‘jigae’ provided the most rational method for carrying objects but a stick was needed to keep it standing when loading and unloading luggage. this process was not quite safe or stable. ‘A frame’, unlike the existing ones, adopts a new structure that needs no additional stick as it guides users to easily and stably load and unload the burden.

this new moving tool is lighter and more stable, focusing on users’ convenience
image by dongchul kang

besides, conventional ‘jigaes’ only relied on workers’ backs and shoulders, however, ‘A frame’ involves the arms with its handle when used, distributing weight to arms for better physical balance resulting in less pressure imposed on knees. ‘A frame’ is also optimized for mass production thanks to its frame, made of pipe bending, plastic panels and soft straps, allowing for large quantity production and making it more durable and lighter. last but not least, its foldable nature enables it for easy storage.

A frame distributes the weight evenly
image by dongchul kang

the result is a free-standing piece
image by dongchul kang

useful for carrying heavy burdens
image by dongchul kang

material details
image by dongchul kang 

it can be mass produced
image by dongchul kang

image by dongchul kang

image by dongchul kang

comparison between a traditional jigae with A frame
image by dongchul kang 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: juliana neira | designboom