This fall, the Tool Library partnered with the University at Buffalo School of Architecture & Planning’s Fabrication Workshop to rethink what tool storage can be. Led by Clinical Assistant Professor and Fabrication Workshop Director Steph Cramer, graduate students designed and built full-scale, permanent storage solutions tailored specifically to the Tool Library’s operations, users, and missions.
More than shelves, the resulting installations invite browsing, learning, maintenance, and reflection, supporting both the practical needs of a lending library and the broader fixer culture. We spoke with Steph about the project, the students’ experience, and what this collaboration reveals about the role of design in community spaces.
What goals did you set at the beginning of the semester for both your students and the Tool Library?
The intention was to find a balance between a few different agendas: delivering on a practical need for tool storage solutions, sparking meaningful reflection and conversation about tools and our relationships with them, and exploring how built objects and environments can both take inspiration from tools and reveal something new about our material culture.
Formally, the goals were threefold. First, students worked within a given timeframe, material and tooling constraints, and a budget to create the best possible full-scale prototype—testing methods, refining details through feedback, and producing safe, effective installations for use at the Tool Library.
Second, they practiced being effective members of a design team: learning when to lead, when to follow, how to communicate clearly, and how to move beyond compromise toward better solutions through iteration and discussion.
Third, they experienced working for a real client with specific needs and requirements, learning how to listen carefully, ask productive questions, and shape design decisions around the needs of others.
What did your students gain from working hands-on in the Fabrication Workshop that they couldn’t have learned in a typical studio class?
This project gave us a real opportunity to talk about scale. Designing to accommodate a set of objects—and to make those objects accessible to people—creates a challenge that demands a close look at how big things really need to be.
It’s also incredibly important for architects in training to build things. Students learn how digital designs translate into physical reality, how materials behave, what tolerances mean in practice, and, more simply, that making things is hard! Architects often design things for others to build, so it’s essential to understand and respect the skill involved in fabrication.
Can you describe any notable challenges your students faced in designing for the Tool Library specifically, and how they solved them?
We spent a lot of time discussing what makes the Tool Library’s operation and ethos different from other tool storage environments, like retail spaces. Those conversations shaped many of the projects conceptually. One example is the rake storage project. Students began to see each rake as distinct—different ages, wear patterns, styles, brands, and even colors. Rather than standardizing them, the design allows users to browse and select the rake that feels right for their specific task, much like choosing the right book from a library shelf.
How do your students feel about the end result?
They’re proud of the work, as they should be. Each built prototype also became a launching point for speculative architectural explorations of “infinite tool libraries” and sparked some really interesting philosophical conversations. Grounding those ideas in a practical, real-world project was invaluable for all of us.
What makes these shelves unique or innovative compared to typical storage systems?
In addition to modularity and integrated access (like ladders), each project includes an educational component or an accompanying solution. For example, the clamp storage incorporates “structural clamps” as part of the assembly to demonstrate different clamp applications. The long-handle shovel project includes sandboxes where shovels can be cleaned upon return. The weedwacker storage provides space for restringing and basic maintenance demonstrations. Other projects, like the short-handle shovel storage and the tables-and-chairs systems, respond to how the Tool Library supports community events by lending large sets of tools or equipment at once.
How do these new storage systems support sustainability?
Several teams proposed low-cost, easy-to-source material strategies, such as combining 3D printing with simple materials like metal mesh as alternatives to commercial storage systems. The designs are also intentionally expandable, both horizontally and vertically, so they can adapt as the Tool Library’s needs grow or shift. Maximizing vertical space was a recurring strategy, helping make efficient use of the existing footprint.
What does this collaboration say about the role architecture and design can play in strengthening local communities and organizations?
It brings to mind the saying, “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” It’s important for young architects to have experiences where the solution isn’t necessarily a building. Architects are trained to work through complex puzzles and consider problems from multiple angles. Those skills are highly transferable, and I think that’s where we can be most helpful to local communities: applying design thinking to address known issues and, together, spark conversations about new ones.
Were there any moments during the project that really stuck with you?
In my role as Executive Director of the Fabrication Workshop, the Tool Library has been deeply inspirational. While there are similarities between our two operations, it’s the differences that I’ve been learning from—especially the Tool Library’s ability to empower individuals and organizations across the city. I’ve also been thinking differently about what defines a “tool.” Two students chose to work with tables and chairs, which are among the most borrowed items. That led to reflections on shared objects and how many different activities a simple folding table can support.
Do you have a favorite tool?
I have several, but I’ll go with the spokeshave. There’s something about the methodical shaping process that I find very soothing.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about the project or your students?
We actually did a bit of tool rescue ourselves this semester! Each student received an old hammer from the Clinton Bailey Flea Market and an ash ‘log’. Their first assignment was to remove the old handle and make a new one. It was a way to spark conversation about tools, people, and the relationships we build through making.
Huge thanks to Steph, the students of the UB School of Architecture & Planning’s Fabrication Workshop, and the University at Buffalo, for their creativity, care and collaboration. This project reflects the power of shared tools, learning, and community, and we’re extremely grateful to have these new installations at the Tool Library!