by Danny | Sep 21, 2018 | Design
Design Brief
In this mini-project, we needed to produce a new urban public space individually with the concept of a connected society. As a class, we will build and exhibit a future ‘social’ city by adding each individual model. By either thinking about getting people ‘active’ or ‘calm’ where people can stop, reflect and contemplate.
We needed to research the trends of the urban area for the change in the landscape, so from there we can then explore the side of social connectivity, community connectivity and digital connectivity. we need to think about the people who I am designing for and where my product will be located in the city of Dundee.
The scale model will be located on a plank of 105mm x150mm.
Research
For research, as a group when to a multi-story parking facility located in the centre of Dundee. The place was very worn down, as you can see from the images on the right, the facility is relatively old. The parking lot used a circular spiral ramp for the cars to go up. Most of the floors were quite empty, so the area was quiet, there were also empty spaces around the car park that are just not being used.
To consider that in a city with the population up to 148,000 people but only filled the first floor of the parking space, and it’s in the centre of the city, that’s quite extraordinary. I guess it’s good that not many cars being parked here mean that the traffic count is low, that implies there is no traffic jam, and as a city the CO2 emission is low. However, the sheer waste of space is a waste of resources, maintenance and money.
Initial thoughts and Ideas
The first idea I had in mind while I was at the car park was that since the top floor wasn’t used, could it be used for a rooftop fair or have a rooftop bar? Same could apply to the centre area for the parking ramp and space next to the parking lot. Set up things where the whole community can participate in and make use of the lonely run down areas. My other thought was what if the parking lines on the floor was interactive, would that make parking fun for many that dread it?
Initial Drawing
On the left, I have my initial drawing of some of the ideas. My theme is revolved around nature, I want to create a peaceful place that you can be surrounded by nature and calm down from the business of a city. My first thought was a birds nest, also i thought it would be nice to have a spider web-like hammock so people can go and lay down. People can go in and become nestlings, where you can feel safe and protected from the world. My second idea is a dome that is made out of trees, the same basic idea as the nest but the dome is fully enclosed and the branches of the dome make a bench that people can sit around. My third idea was a giant basket again made from living tree branch but wived in the shaped of a basket. Furthermore, I designed egg-shaped capsules for people to sit and relax in, there is also a version of it where it’s a bed.
Tree Shaping
I did some research on tree shaping where there are three main ways of tree shaping. Framing, Grafting and Pruning. Framing is where you put a frame as a jig for the tree to grow in and eventually grow into the shape of the jig. Grafting is when you cut a brunch off the plant and attach a piece of another plant to the cut surface. Finally, there is pruning, which means by cutting at the leaf nodes you can direct and control the direction of the growth.
For the following ideas, I think framing may be the best idea as it’s much simpler and relatively less maintenance.
First development
My first development was the dome idea where I thought that being a dome enclosed entirely with tree branch will be very dark inside, so I thought by creating some opening on all around the dome will be more suitable as that would let some natural lighting in, and on the inside, there will be the egg-shaped beds in a nest so it will add more atmosphere to be in the bed. Furthermore, I have also put a plant pot inside the dome so there will be additional greenery to improve the internal aesthetics. I made a model of the design showing the part of the model shows the tree being covering the dome the other side you have the skeleton of the dome where the tree can grow around.
(Gallery on the right contains sketch and model)
Second Development
This is my second development idea. The idea is that instead of a dome there is a high bush where people can’t see inside and when you get in you are cut off from the world. So my first development for this idea is for mainly the Dundee flower and food festival. You walk into the garden and you will find your self in a flower exhibition. There is a guided path for the visitors but at a certain point they have the freedom to choose where they go but ultimately the path will guild them out. The flower beds are at different hight so the exhibition will seem more dynamic. My second thought was to put a spider web structure on top and the gaps are covered by the glass, so the exhibition can be a greenhouse during other seasons. The last image shows a model I made to represent the spider web idea.
Third Development
This is my third idea; it was inspired by the ‘High Way’ path in New York City. I thought that in the busy city centre there could be a sight of nature. My audiences are those who are always busy working and don’t have the time to appreciate nature. The design is that there is a grass path down the middle of the high street where there are plant pots down the two sides of the road. Furthermore, there are some array of LED lights sitting under pressure plates will light up when people step on it, so the calmness of the greenery and the interactive of the LED lights.
My final idea is similer to my second development idea. it will be a garden that’s sitting in the middle of the city. First, I chose the garden shape to be in a shape of a thistle, so I looked up some design of it. I combind the one in the left coner and the one to the right of that one.
I started by cutting the shape out on paper so I have a reference image, I then stuck it on to the 150mm x 150mm plank. By doing this I now know where I can stick my grass and rocks. First by applying PVA glue then just spinkal the grass and the rock on I manage to make the thistle shape.
(see gallery)
I then proceeded to make the ring of the garden bt cutting out the inner ring with a jigsaw and sanded it down with a bobbing sander cut out the out shape by using the band saw.
(see gallery)
The Final outcome was very satisfying with the cale fiuger of people really helped with showing the scale size of the model.
by Danny | Sep 14, 2018 | Design
The Group project
We started with a group project. Our brief was to de-construct the shape of the lamp and make a 1:1 scale model of the lamp from the material supplied.
The lamp we were given was a Tizio lamp designed by Richard Sapper.
Tizio lamp
As a team, we took on roles, and each of us was making a different component of the Tizio lamp, we also did some rough measurements, then we drew a 1:1 scale drawing. W
e also did some calculation as some of the components were harder to measure than others. And by making each induvial 
part of that lamp we each slowly getting the idea and the technicality of the lamp. Our model of the Tizio lamp needs to be balanced where it’s not going to fall or collapse. The outcome was to our satisfaction as the joints did not slip, and the lamp head was balanced on the weights.
Individual Task
After we finished making the model of the lamp we moved on to our individual projects. The aim was to use one aspect of the Tizio lamp to create a product that can still be a lamp or something entirely different.
I started by thinking about a problem around me, and I just started sketching. First, I thought about the fact when I go out for road trips, the rubbish always gets out of hands really quickly. So thought about a collapsible travel bin that twist and collapses. The part that inspired me was the joint, the zigzag design on the Tizio lamp. 
My second idea was to have a collapsible bedside table. This was due to the fact I have minimal space in my student accommodation, and I don’t have a bedside table, but I would like the table to be easily stored away when needed. I again adopted the zigzag idea from the Tizio lamp for the extension mechanism of the table, and it almost resembles the design of a scissor lift, it would go up and down to collapse down for easy storage. My third idea came after I had done some basic research about the Tizio lamp. From my research, I found that the idea of the Tizio lamp. In the world of clutter out came something simple but effective the Tizio lamp, furthermore, Richard Sapper didn’t like the fact a normal lamp has a small coverage of the working space, he wanted to create a lamp that covers a large area but at the same time without taking a large footprint. So I thought about making a lamp that takes a small amount of space, that is balanced by weight system and a light source that’s not concentrated.
Website used for research:
http://uk.phaidon.com/agenda/design/articles/2016/june/06/how-clutter-inspired-richard-sapper-s-design-classic/
First idea
Drawing on travel bin idea
The model for travel bin
My first idea was the travel bin. With my initial idea being the bin twists and fold down flat for easy storage. However, after some failed sketching and brainstorm I came up with a new mechanism that would work better. If I had zigzag bars that can rotate at each end where it’s attached, make them the same all four side, you could pull them up to extend the bin and put a small bin bag in it. On the right is a card model that I have made which represent my idea. Then I thought I could make the end of the extension bar round so that the sharp edges would not cut anyone. Furthermore, I thought that I could add a cap that will clip on to the top of the bin that would hold the bin bag in place. 
Second idea
Drawing on the bedside table
The second idea is design based on a problem of having a small space for the bedroom. It’s a bedside table that can be compressed and stored away to save space when needed. I improved the design from my initial design.
The new design features:
– Open space when expanded for books or other things that user would like to use it for.
– A paper wall that folds in a zigzag form so it can be collapsed.
– A tabletop that’s just laid on top so that the user can put alarm clocks or a cup of tea etc.
The table top can be removed for easy access from the top as well as from the front of the table.
I tried to make the scissor lift mechanism. However, I realised quickly that as the mechanism move, the width of the side gets narrower, the table’s frame is fixed so that would cause a problem.
experiment model on scissor life mechanism
Third idea
ideas for the lampshade
My third idea is also a lamp. The idea is to make the lamp as simple as possible, and my main focus is how to make the light source of the lamp not concentrated but more spread out so it can cover more surface area. So I made some different lampshade model.
Lampshade idea modelling
- The first lampshade idea is not so ideal this is because the light would bounce and reflect in the cone and come out very concentrated and bright.
- the second one is slightly better as I removed the back end to let some light escape, therefore, less light being reflected within the cone so ultimately more dispersed light.
- The third idea is better as light can escape from both directions of the tube but still quite focused.
- The fourth one is effectively a box where the light would come out from the bottom, so the light would be very focused as well.
In the end, I chose lampshade 3 as the one I will use. As to how to disperse the light even more, the material I will use for the lampshade will be a half opaque material that lets most of the light through but reflects some light so the whole of the head shines and light up the room.
Final idea drawing
So then I sketched up an idea how the lamp will look like, it will have a round base that can rotate and a weight system at the back to keep the lamp balanced.
I started by making the base of the lamp. I used foam board to wrap around disks of cardboard, the extra weight will create a more stable base for the model. I added an extra disk at the bottom which is attached via a dowel, so the base can rotate freely. Then I moved to make the rest of the lamp out of foam boards. The joints work as it should and the weights create a perfect balance.
What I could’ve done better
After playing around with the finished model I had the following thoughts that may improve the product:
- The weight could move up and down the beam to create more movement options.
- The main beam can be extended so the light can cover more area.
Also for the modelling of the lampshade, next time I would use a different kind of material for it as the foam board do not show the light diffusing property of the real material I want to use.
