Work has been coming along steadily as I prepare for the UArts 2010 Design show. Here are prototype shots of two of the four models I plan on showing at the exhibition. Pieces will be in multiples to show the concept of a system for production that affords consistent products from recycled material, and not just expensive one-offs.
Reconstruct Storage Module
Reconstruct Step Stool
Furniture is made from OSB scraps from panel manufacturers, milk paint, and a water-based sealant finish.
Although the designs I’ve been working with have been changing constantly since the project was conceived in January (2010), a long series of decisions, iterations, and reiterations have led me to these four designs. For the show on April 30th, I plan on having multiples made of each of these models; chairs, step stools, storage modules, and coffee tables.
My senior studio project has been progressing steadily since its conception in January (2010).
I began to envision a line of furniture that could be created from construction site waste, particularly the wood waste. Common byproducts of the construction process are OSB (oriented strand board) and dimensional lumber (2x4s, 2x6s, etc.).
Lumber, such as pine 2x4s common in construction, is tough to rely on. It is almost never going to be perfectly square, which is important in furniture making. Pine isn’t the best quality wood, either, it is soft and prone to splintering.
Oriented strand board, on the other hand, is a material that I can truly connect with. People’s perceptions of OSB vary, but it is most commonly associated with raw, unfinished construction and garners its particular connotations from that image.
I find OSB to be one of the most modest materials around; it’s a super structural engineered wood product with a unique “grain,” giving it an apparently random face. In truth, those strands of wood are carefully oriented in a manufacturing process that distinguishes OSB from particleboard. Strands are oriented in layers, oftentimes with perpendicular, adjacent layers that provide rigidity and strength, similar to plywood. Due to this manufacturing process, OSB has been replacing plywood in many construction jobs, since it is just as strong and usually a few bucks cheaper. Another solid advantage is that in the manufacturing process about 90% of the tree is used as opposed to 60-70% in plywood. Smaller, more renewable hardwood trees can be used, which makes the material more socially responsible.
The project is on schedule in terms of the timeline I’ve set out for it, and I’m currently involved in the prototyping stage. Collection will be occurring in the next couple of weeks from both local construction sites and from panel manufacturers that are producing scraps they cannot use.
design Happy New Year, everyone
I’ve been changing my site around ever since I put it online, but I think I finally got the layout right this time; with a very simple, straightforward interface.
I’ve created digital entries of a lot of the projects in my portfolio in my online journal. However, if you go to my work page on the top navigation bar, it’ll bring you to a list of those projects. Simply pull up the entry I posted by clicking one of these links.
Let me know what you think of the new site, enjoy
Check out this little idea I’ve been working on between school projects.. Let me know what you think
For more pictures/process/info use the link above
These laser cut cards have pieces that pop out and snap together to create playful animals. The critters have contact information on them for a lasting impression.
Work began October 2009. I’ve been developing a more reliable clasp system for the pieces when they snap together and have also been working on a lot more animals.
LifeStraw, a design concept for water issues in developing countries | Image Source: Inhabitat.com
I’m sure you’ve heard of the Lifestraw, an intriguing design by Danish company Vestergaard Frandsen, which acts as a point-of-use filter to clean dirty water as the user drinks it. It is a plastic tube with filters and an iodine chamber aimed at aiding the developing world. Their website also points out a peculiar goal to me. On this page, Vestergaard Frandsen states that they aim to “achieve the Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people with access to safe water by the year 2015.” If this is the goal in a project, is Vestergaard Frandsen’s product-oriented approach really the best way at going about it?
The Lifestraw isn’t a poorly designed product. As pointed out in this article over at worldchanging.com, the Lifestraw was even one of the finalists in the 2005 INDEX: Design awards. That means, by their standards, that the Lifestraw “dramatically improve[s] the lives of many people.”
It is not a bad product, but it is still a product.
As pointed out in this BBC News article, there are some blatant flaws with the Lifestraw product. In the developing world, where people make less than one dollar a day, the retail price of $3.50 isn’t exactly cheap. At that price, each product lasts a user up to 700 liters (about 6-10 months of use, depending on the region and conditions). People in other parts of the world may consider $3.50 cheap, but what goes into making these products at this cost? Well for one, they are made in China. Labor laws are obviously less stringent (to say the least) over there.
However, the main problem to me is the fact that people live far from water sources in these parts of the world. In these cultures, women and girls are usually the ones who are expected to retrieve and haul the water home from the source. In many circumstances, these women are walking about 12.5 miles or more each time, and carrying extremely heavy loads of water back. It’s not only the strenuous work they put in that is a setback to their health, but also the time it takes for these trips. Women in these cultures are missing out on important education as they are away on tasks to fetch water for their families.
Wateraid, a UK charity, spends about $24 a person for clean water, sanitation, and hygiene education for their lifetime, spokesman Paul Hetherington states (as pointed out in this article).
A woman lugs water back to her village | Image Source: weministry.com
People such as John Paul argue with Hetherington on this debate, citing the fact that obviously being a spokeperson for Wateraid, he will speak on their behalf. However true this may be, he brings up many valid points about the drawbacks of the Lifestraw.
I’d argue that systems like the ones that Wateraid works with and puts into place may be a better long-term solution to these complex problems.
Addressing the issue of local food access, especially in low-income communities within Philadelphia, Growlots seeks to re-define the system in which we get our food.
Growlots, with the pooled information from UNI (Urban Nutrition Initiative) and PHS (Pennsylvania Horticultural Society), introduced the concept of Green Resource Centers that would supply outlying community gardens with supplies and services in exchange for a portion of the satellite gardens’ crop output.
Growlots is the name of a project begun in September 2009. The group included Victoria Perez, Megan Braley, John “Woody” Woodburn, Kim Forsythe, Elissa Meyer, Adam Rusiski, Jared Delorenzo, John Pender, and myself.
As this process builds and strengthens gardens, it also has the capability to strengthen communities, while simultaneously providing them with fresh food and vitality.
Megan Braley and Victoria Perez have continued to develop this project
Check out the new site we just released – postgreenhomes.com
Try it out, create your custom Postgreen home and take a look at some of the upcoming projects
While at Postgreen Homes, I’ve been given the chance to work with ISA, as well. It’s been an awesome experience and I’ve been learning a lot. Check out some of the stair designs we came up with for the new Postgreen Homes:
What do you think? Check out my post on the subject at the Postgreen Homes blog here.
