While collaborating with Worcester Community Fridges, we worked to understand and address weatherization issues the refrigerators face. Through collecting a variety of data and researching solutions, we synthesized design recommendations for future improvements to the enclosures and stock solutions that are ready to implement. Our team also provided a manual to break down the needs of a community fridge. We interviewed volunteers, Ph.D. students, and architects to inform our design process, ensuring the refrigerators can run with little maintenance regardless of the season. Working on weatherization design was an iterative process, requiring feedback from the community and cost-benefit analyses to deliver flexible and effective recommendations for current and future enclosures.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• DiCelico, Zackary
• Weideman, Michael
• Childers, Valerie
• MacInerney, Ian

Subject

• Culture
• Infrastructure
• Well-Being
• Sustainability
• Community
• Food

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-050323-121850
• 108346

Keyword

• Food Insecurity
• Volunteering
• Community Based
• Weatherization
• Mutual Aid

Advisor

• Elmes, Michael B.
• Roberts, Laura

Year

• 2023

Center

• Worcester Community Project Center (Massachusetts) - IQP

Sponsor

• Woo Fridges

UN Sustainable Development Goals

• 2 - Zero Hunger

Date created

• 2023-05-03

Resource type

• Interactive Qualifying Project

Source

• E-project-050323-121850

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2023-06-15