Mid-Semester Break

idea takes new direction

instead of promoting the rural areas of australia to the folk of the city, i am going to bring these people the rural areas to the city!

i will design an architectural solution which will address the issue of confined living spaces and issues stemming off this such as depression and loneliness and lack of human interaction

the design will be mobile and easily transportable  

it will be modular and pre-fabricated in a factory and transported in a flat-pack manner which when assembled slots together without any nails or screws

it can be used by a single person or can slot together with others to be used by a small or large group of people

due to the manner of the design and its modular form, there will be different assembly outcomes depending on what the user wants

users will be taken to anywhere they want away from the city through virtual devices

sound, imagery and touch will help to enhance this experience

exploring modular, stackable and 'slot-together' assembly in design

http://www.chictip.com/

 http://ergonomicofficefurnitures.com/cardboard-furniture-design/

 http://thedesignhome.com/furniture/1276-pied-de-poule-modular-wall-shelf-system

 ryan frank - isabella stool

http://blog.sub-studio.com/2008/08/ryan-frank-isabella-stool/

http://blog.sub-studio.com

'Just Fold It' is a modular room divider designed by Kutarq. Flexible and lightweight, the room divider is very easy to assemble and disassemble. The length of the divider can be adjusted by adding or removing the number of modules. The surface of the divider has perforations which helps to reduce the wind resistance and increases the stability. When not needed, the individual panels fold compact making them convenient to store or transport.

http://thedesignhome.com/furniture/1263-just-fold-it-room-divider-by-kutarq

 

Tsai Design Studio created this interesting bunk bed as the winning entry to the 2006 36sqm Challenge, a design competition that asked for solutions for large families living in small spaces (36 sq. meters, to be exact). The Nested Bunk Beds were inspired by traditional Russian Matriochka dolls, with five nested beds that can be pulled out for sleeping. The design went from concept to reality after being installed at an AIDS orphanage in Wellington, South Africa. 

http://blog.sub-studio.com/2008/03/tsai-design-studio/

http://blog.sub-studio.com/2008/03/domestic/

http://blog.sub-studio.com/2008/02/yuriko-takahashi/

This project won an award from Wallpaper for the Best Shelving System of 2006. I’m not sure how functional it would actually be as a shelving system, but I think it makes for an attractive screen or room divider. 

http://blog.sub-studio.com/2008/01/alfredo-haberli/ 

Shapes from Unto This Last. All of the furniture is produced with a computer-controlled machine, and can be somewhat customized.

http://blog.sub-studio.com/2007/03/unto-this-last/ 

Two interesting items from Pryor & Williams: the Sandwich Board which is a prep surface and serving tray all in one, and the BIB Tray, which is a multipurpose bed tray/laptop table/coffee table. I like that it is collapsible and easily stored. 

http://blog.sub-studio.com/2007/01/pryor-williams/ 

Temporaryy small house: for people who take refuge in a gymnasiums
Temporally small bedroom that allow for private and warm space

http://www.atelier-opa.com/suzuki-lab/ds1.html 

artek & marimekko

 Scandinavian design is huge in Japan right now. That’s why it’s only fitting that Finnish heavyweights artek, famous for their stools, and marimekko, famous for their fabrics, collaborate in Japan for an installation. “Be Honest” will feature an installation using Alvar Aalto ‘s Model No. 60 stool (circa 1933), as well as reinterpretations of his stools by marimekko designers. Taking place at SPIRAL in Tokyo, the show will open this Saturday and run for 2 weeks.

http://www.spoon-tamago.com/2008/09/05/artek-marimekko/

Dolmen Portable Folding Chair

The Dolmen Portable Folding Chair (1000 yen) is the world’s lightest chair, and the first paper chair ever to be commercialized. Weighing just 360 grams (0.8 lbs) and collapsing to the width of a book, it fits right into your bag. It employs a honeycomb structure that can support the weight of just about anyone. I would imagine it would be helpful on camping trips or other outdoor outings. They say it can last a lifetime “if used gently.”

http://www.spoon-tamago.com/2009/09/23/dolmen-portable-folding-chair/

mobile dining

 

http://www.spoon-tamago.com/2009/07/30/mobile-dining/ 

BOXINBOX by Keiji Ashizawa

In collaboration with Tanseisha, Keiji Ashizawa recently designed BOXINBOX. Comprised of a sleek metal frame and oak-veneered plywood sliding boxes, the piece is an ultimate exploration into minimalism. Instead of moving on to something new, Ashizawa decided to look back on a previous design done last year, modifying and improving upon it by giving them Russian doll characteristics. The nesting shelves allow for the chest to be transported in a much more economical fashion.You can see Ashizawa’s shelf, along with shelving systems designed by 10 other big names in the Japanese design circle, at the Axis Gallery starting Sept. 27.

 http://www.spoon-tamago.com/2011/09/19/boxinbox-by-keiji-ashizawa/

eye-
candy

Rehti – Aleksi Penttila

The “Wide Chair” is essentially one piece of DiBond, part of which is molded into chair form and the other part which folds up to become the arm rest of the chair. “Wide chair” was designed by Aleksi Penttilä, who is part of the Finnish design collective Rehti. 

 http://blog.sub-studio.com/2007/03/rehti-aleksi-penttila/

Filipe Zanardi

 Thanks to Filipe Zanardi for sending us an email about his Carpet-Lounge. This has gotten a lot of press already, but I thought it was worth mentioning here. I love the innovation on the traditional carpet as a gathering space. So often when lounging around my living room on my rug – after my elbow or butt has fallen asleep – have I wished for something to lean up against, and voila! Here you go! Instant chair!

http://blog.sub-studio.com/2007/03/filipe-zanardi/ 

Loyal Loot

Beautiful nesting tables from Loyal Loot. The tables in the Bonnie and Clyde series are made of cold-formed mahogany plywood. 

http://blog.sub-studio.com/2007/03/loyal-loot/

id 360

The “Symbol” is an interesting, multi-functional piece of furniture by ID 360 that functions as a chair, a bench, a side table…It’s sort of funny looking with all of its arms but I love that it does lots of things at once.

http://blog.sub-studio.com/2007/03/id-360/

alfredo haberli - namea sideboard

 This is an amazing sideboard by Alfredo Haberli. It can be opened up or closed back down depending on what configuration you want for the day. The design is very sleek, with no visible hardware.

http://blog.sub-studio.com/2007/06/alfredo-haberli-nemea-sideboard/ 

jim hannon-tan

 I love the Clampleg by Jim Hannon-Tan. Besides being gorgeous, it allows you to make a table out of any surface. The heights are adjustable so if you have wonky floors like me, you can level your table.

http://blog.sub-studio.com/2007/08/jim-hannon-tan/ 

nomad space browser prototype-morphine

This gadget is an instant-personal space for people roaming on the street. The flexibility LED screen front of the user shows that all information from urban life. unfortunately I cannot upload this video to the blog but please take the time to look at it!

http://vimeo.com/4046714 

mobile cutting table

recht's 'cutting table no. 1' is a result of his constant travel in which he is continuously setting-up guerilla studios
wherever he is, however always lacking a good clean surface in which to work. constructed from corrugated cardboard,
the biodegradable furniture piece is lightweight and can be disassembled at the end of the day to make room for other activities.
 

 

http://designboom.com/weblog/section.php?SECTION_PK=izkyhztndddtqdhq&start=1080&num_record_tot=3082

 

 

Week 9

theme specific project development

moving the city folk back to the country

this week i had my BIG idea

what is a reponce to overpopulation in the future of overpopulated australian cities?

perhaps the australian government should be promoting the rural areas of australia to the civilians of the city.

how could this be done through an architectural solution and through a convincing and well-thought out responce? 

pods

pods which are scattered throughout the city, high, low, central, in the way, convenient.

pods which provoke vast open spaces, fresh air, sounds of nature, a new start at life, a place to escape.

a sence of community.

pods will simulate what it is like to be in the country and rural areas of australia through imagery, touch, sound, smell.

 

 

here is a very literal example of being 'taken away' to another place in the google office, zurich

http://coolinsights.blogspot.com/2010/07/who-should-we-compare-ourselves-with.html

other thoughts on what these pods could be useful for in terms of overpopulation

what is happening to our city landmarks?

they are often forgotten about however they should be remembered and perhaps these pods could pay tribute to these significant sites.

eg. the pod could be placed where a beautiful large park once was and could simulate what the park was like through sound, imagery etc.

what will come of our special landmarks in the city?

how will they be remembered?

could these pods pay tribute to our forgotten landmarks and remind us of the what the cities used to be like before they became overpopulated?

this got me thinking about all different kinds of pods: what materials could be used, how they are mobile and what their pupose is.

some inspiration:

sleeping catepillar design

Brazier’s Urban Catepillar design is a sleeping pod that shields its users from the cold, wind and rain. An instant shelter, it will hopefully save lives if put into production.

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/urban-catepillar?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#!/photos/91856/2

i LOVE the use of materials in this project

Aesop, a skin-care company out Melbourne, Australia, has heralded its first push into the U.S. market by opening a kiosk at Grand Central that’s as American as apple pie. Designed by Aesop director Dennis Paphitis and Brooklyn architect Jeremy Barbour of Tacklebox, the place takes the great American newspaper and uses it the way every American does: by piling stuff on it.The Aesop kiosk is made of roughly 1,800 torn copies of the New York Times. Laid flat, piled up one on top of the other, and held together by a wooden frame, they create little display stands for Aesop’s assorted body scrubs and facial hydrating creams.

What on earth do newspapers have to do with skin care, you ask? The design is “a response to Aesop’s respect for the written word and the history of each city with which it engages,” Aesop writes in press materials. And hey, it beats using the Times to line a bird cage!

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664581/aesops-new-kiosk-made-from-1800-copies-of-the-new-york-times

homeless sleeping pods

i love the mobility of this project

ideally my pods will be able to be assembled in all different places around the city

it is important to think about who will assemble these pods and how they will be assembled.

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/urban-catepillar?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#!/photos/91070/8

some more homeless sleeping shelters

this is a lovely response to easy assembly, a cardboard origami mobile shelter.

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/urban-catepillar?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#!/photos/91070/8

sheltering door frames

i had to put this in. this is a fantastic design element which could be incorporated into any design.

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/urban-catepillar?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#!/photos/91070/8

more folding shelters

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/urban-catepillar?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#!/photos/91070/8

sturdy refugee tents

i love the modular design and easy assembly + mobility.  each tent has a different module and function and they all link together to make really small or large tents depending on different variables.

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/urban-catepillar?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#!/photos/91070/8

unstable markets

why does my design need to be mobile?

these designs are mobile and responsive out of a nessecity.

my design must be mobile for a reason... not just to be mobile.

http://www.deconcrete.org/2011/06/01/unstable-markets/

pop-up forgiveness

a portable madrid confessional.  these were spread throughout madrid in responce to the visit of pope benedict XVI.

a similar idea could be reflected in my pod, not in the sense of a confessional as such but in the sense that this design is modular, mobile, easily transported, has a simple purpose and is a private place amongst a very public place for people to take time out.

http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/madrid_confessional_01.jpg

dominated office in denver

this is a really nice project because it is meant to remind workers how far away from nature they really are in their row upon row of geometric cubicles with the only spot of nature being an office plant. this installation in denver breaks down this man-made environment in an effort to promote outdoor activity and a connection to nature during the workday. 

it also symbolised an abandoned office space that was left to nature abandoned by office workers looking to find their way back to nature.  

perhaps i could promote a move to the country with a similar idea.

http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/archives/21814


living inside a giant camera

so i need to find a way to simulate the australian country whether this be the outback or small communal towns.  im thinking imagery projected onto the inside of a pod's walls with audio of nature and the smell of grass and other natural smells which are overtaken by toxic fumes in the city might be a start to getting people to think about these forgotten places and remind them that the city may not be such a great place to live.

here is a picture projected onto the walls of a room.

here is how the this is done

Simply put a DSLR with a wide angle lens in the room next to me on a tripod, and set a long exposure time of 4mins at iso 200 (to keep noise to a minimum) at f5.6. That’s it. Higher isos will shorten the required exposure but produce a much noisier image. I didn’t try image stacking (a popular technique in astrophotography) but that probably would work well in reducing noise by averaging it out. Use either a wide angle lens to record as much of the captured scene as possible or use a fast lens with a wide max aperture to shorten exposure times. If you have a compact camera zoom to the widest position and turn the iso as low as possible. The image will need to be rotated 180 deg in post processing and you may need to help improve its contrast – I found that converting it to black and white and adjusting levels worked best. The resulting can contain a lot of detail even at the level of 100% crops.

http://www.pixelatedphotographer.com/living-inside-a-giant-camera-for-a-day

camera booths

the last post got me to thinking about cameras and camera booths...

mobile camera booths...

mobile camera booths where you can take a picture of yourself in the country with beautiful trees, birds in the background and while this is happening, nature inspired music is playing...

here is a beautiful traditional camera booth

http://www.essentialvermeer.com/camera_obscura/co_two.html

summer streets

i love what is happening in new york at the moment. here is an iniative by the mayor to get people out and about in summer over three consecutive weekends in august. this is a cyclist's dream because no cars are allowed in the city of new york, 7 miles of manhattan roads to be exact.

i love this idea because it reminds the citizens of what it is like to not be taken over by the motor-car, to have some open space and enjoy the smell of fresh air without the car fumes in your face.

this idea could be translated into my design where i am encouraging citizens of australian cities to move back to the rural areas, reminding them what it is like to be able to roam the streets safely and freely.

new york do a similar thing in times square where they take out the cars and open it up to the public.

http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/archives/21356

transforming parking spots

this is a similar idea and it is happening in major cities throughout usa. this project is in philadelphia and aims to take over parking spaces and turn them into parks, reminding people of what parks are and their benefits.  it also encourages people to walk to the city instead of driving.  i have seen similar projects where the parking spaces are taken over by pop-up cafes which is a nice idea too.

http://articles.philly.com/2011-08-04/news/29850967_1_spaces-parklets-parking-spots

sleepbox

these sleepboxes are portable and convenient for tired travellers or shoppers.  they are very adaptable and can be used in a number of different places.  the first sleepbox was installed in moscow international airport, russia.  it is made of mdf with a natural ash-tree veneer. 

they include 

an alarm

safe deposit box

built-in payment station with magnetic keys

wi-fi router

built-in media block with TV

mood lighting

matted film on windows with changing transparency

http://www.dezeen.com/2011/09/12/sleepbox-01-by-arch-group/

 more sleepbox

the same group, russian architects, arch group have adapted their design to urban places where they have placed modular sleeping pods around cities for people to take naps in their busy lives.  the units are designed to be rented for a few minutes or a few hours. they will be installed in train stations, shopping centres and airports.

between users, betting will be automatically changed with sheets wound from one roller onto another.

they can be used instead of booking a hotel.

there are many security problems and health issues if you want to sleep while waiting for a plane or train so these are a nice solution for a safe, resting place for travellers.

it is equipped with a ventilation system, sound alerts, built-in tv, wifi, sockets for a laptop, charging phones and storage for luggage.

http://www.dezeen.com/2009/11/10/sleepbox-by-arch-group/

highline: stage 2

this website is a must see

it illustrates some of manhatten's unused spaces which have been turned into lush green open spaces for citizens of new york to enjoy

there are some great before and afters.

http://nycedc.tumblr.com/post/6287127334/high-line-section-2-before-and-after

mobile cornucopia

The role of the produce truck in New Orleans history and culture is well known. The produce truck concept also offers inspiration for an implausible solution to grocery access: An entire building mounted on a pickup, and overflowing with tasty foodstuffs. Hypothetically, this Mobile Cornucopia could travel wherever groceries are needed.

Everybody needs a place to sleep – maybe just a nap, maybe a full good night. One absurdly impractical solution to this unifying dilemma: A stacked series of high-tech snooze pods, rising from the roof of a domed structure. To lend an air of luxury to the proceedings, the stacks are considered “Towers,” in the classic style of high-rise residential branding everywhere. The visualization of this hypothetical addition to the built environment also includes a cutaway view of an individual sleep pod. 

Theatre of Escape. Where to? Paris in 1968? Clavius Moon Base? Martin County, Kentucky? This building, with its beguiling portals, could be
refitted to deliver you wherever you want to go, by way of nonexistent technology. A cross between a theater and a train station, this
establishment provides a pleasant waiting area with its Bug Out Lounge. Come hang out – and then get out. 

http://hypotheticaldevelopment.com/mobcorn.html