Presentation Day

Elkstone Road Edible Garden.

My project from last year approached the idea of a garden that was created from naturally growing weeds from the area in London. The site was located next to a road and a train line, so pollution was abundant, therefore my garden stood as a contrast amongst the pollution.   

Site Plan: demonstrating the pollution in the area

The plants in the garden were all chosen as they were natural to the site, so they could grown on their own. I wanted the garden to act as a place of learning so that people could come to the site, pick anything they wished; and as I had also created a blog containing recipes for the plants understand how to cook them by scanning their smart phone on QR codes on site.

Axonometric: Demonstrating plants on site

I also designed the garden to be self sufficient, the garden contained tanks that stored rainwater that drained through cracks in the paving and connected to a sprinkler that would water the plants at specific times of the day. 

Section: Demonstrating the water tank and sprinkler system

When looking at my project from a sustainable design point of view I understood that my project stood in the 'USE' phase of the lifecycle.  This means that the way it is used makes it sustainable. 

The Tod Morden Community are a similar design to my own, they are a self sufficient town that grows their own vegetables and shares them amongst themselves.

In accordance with the TED 10, my edible garden fits into: 

8. DESIGN TO REDUCE THE NEED TO CONSUME- instead of buying products they are being grown.

4. DESIGN TO REDUCE ENERGY AND WATER USE- my sprinkler system drains and stores rainwater to water the plants. 

References 

McDougall, K. (2014). Communiy Growing . Available: http://www.incredible-edible-todmorden.co.uk/projects/community-growing. Last accessed 9th Jan 2014.

Chemical Impacts and Ethical Reproduction

20,000 people die every year from agricultural pesticide poisoning, rivers and lakes are being polluted by factories. Dye is being dumped into rivers, so much so that locals can predict the colour forecast for fashion by the colour of the steams. 

Things are being done to prevent this, water free dyes, reducing water to dye.

It makes me wonder the chemical impacts that the architectural industry produce and what the materials that we are using are doing to the world..
After 2 minutes of research I found out the harmful impacts that MDF has on the human body- carcinogenic, aggravating lung conditions such as asthma. There is a positive though, as long as the material is used in a well ventilated area the health risks are much lower. Alongside this MDF is recyclable- can be broken down to create insulation. MDF is also made from waste wood, broken down and mixed with wax and resin, so could be classed as sustainable.

Despite this, materials such as bamboo are much more sustainable as they are fast growth and strength. Would it be possible to create a timber from something like bamboo that is just as strong?

It was also noted that energy and water use is one of the biggest issues. Most of the energy is used up after production with clothes, that means washing and ironing the garment. With this I was interested in the washing machine created that didn't use water.

LG are currently creating a water free washing machine, the technology is under wraps but the current creation that was unveiled by LG means that you can freshen clothes detergent and water free. 

There is already a Xeros washing machine that uses nylon beads with a drop of water and detergent to remove dirt and stains. As there isn't a spin and drain function it also only uses 2% of the energy creates by conventional washing machines. 

References

Quick, D. (2009). ‘Waterless’ washing machine cleans using nylon beads. Available: http://www.gizmag.com/xeros-washing-machine/12088/. Last accessed 9th Jan 2014.

Smith, M. (2013). LG is building a washing machine that doesn't use water. Available: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/17/lg-senior-vp-washing-machine-no-water/. Last accessed 9th Jan 2014.

Wikipedia. (2013). Medium-density fibreboard. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium-density_fibreboard. Last accessed 9th Jan 2014.

Design Cyclablity

The main aim with design cyclability is trying not to let the product reach the end of its life- tackling the design at the stages before, ensuring each stage has been considered. 

Keiran Jones and Studio Swine through research realised the amount of waste floating in the 'pacific garbage patch' just waiting to decompose. Of course as the waste is mostly made of plastics this decomposition will not happen for thousands of years. Their aim is to collect this waste and recycle it into their current 'sea chair', which in my opinion is rather poetic in aesthetic and ethos. 

The rough texture of the seat alludes to the imperfection of the sea and waves that encircle it. The black colouring with splashes of white remind me of oil, oil that creates the plastics, oil that swamps the ocean, polluting and spreading. The chair may be beautiful, but its message is a warning. 

In my own work, when making models I always ensure that offcuts are used and that I don't buy new materials, for example when making my site plan, all wood was sourced from the workshop and they only have offcuts.

References

Jones, K and Studio Swine. (Unknown). About The Sea Chair Project .Available: http://seachair.com/about-3/. Last accessed 9th Jan 2014.

Design to Minimise Waste

We were introduced to the first instalment of the TED10- Design to minimise waste.
The first three elements taught were; repair, reduce, reuse- extending the life of a product.
However there are also methods of minimising waste to go through, with disposal as a last resort.

1. Avoidance/ Minimisation
2. Reuse
3. Recycling
4. Recovery
5. Disposal

Maximising the conservation of resources by keeping in mind these methods cuts down the amount of waste and extend the life of materials and products.

I found a wonderful example of reusing materials on the website Materia.nl that Miriam noted in her lecture today. This example takes grains from breweries and adds them to the ceramic mix, increasing insulation and heat retention!

This discovery shows that through research and innovation- alongside a whole lot of creative vision, something that would usually end up being disposed of is making a raw material better. The website Materia, I found fascinating and inspiring as the articles on there are things you would never have envisaged. When looking at materials to use for my project I will ensure I keep this article and website in mind so that I don't just choose the obvious. 

In the interest of minimising waste even before you choose materials, we were shown David Telfer's 'The North Face Zero Waste Project'. A coat in which the pattern has been prepared so that minimal fabric is wasted and minimal seams are used.

Illustrating the idea of considering minimising waste from the moment that ideas for a design begin whizzing around in your brain. In David Telfer's case he has let minimising waste fuel his ideas, and the finished product is just as innovative as the zero waste behind it.

In the interest of my own work the pattern for the coat could easily be the pattern for the construction of something more architectural, so when planning my designs for my upcoming project I will definitely take into account how much of a material I will need and work out how to build my designs around the size of that material so that wastage will be minimal.


References
Materia. (2014). Bricks from Beer. Available: http://materia.nl/article/bricks-beer/. Last accessed 9th Jan 2014.

Telfer, D. (2010). The North Face Zero Waste Project. Available: http://www.davidtelfer.co.uk/page2.htm. Last accessed 9th Jan 2014.

TED 10

Today’s lecture was enlightening. Its common knowledge that we should recycle, but sometimes laziness gets in the way, easier to buy new and throw into landfill. In todays society of consumption, all media indoctrinates us into buying not reusing. Its also easy to begin to question things like global warming whilst being swept away during your everyday life. Miriam’s lecture today brought me back down to earth unveiling the harsh realities we are doing to our planet, reducing its lifespan. The figures for the amount of clothes we throw away was unfathomable, and it is inspiring to know that TED is out there campaigning, growing to make the future of our planet more positive.