1. Leo Chan
http://leoriginalchan.blogspot.com/
2. Ben Chan
http://bjcyc.blogspot.com/
3. Liz Grayburn
http://lizgrayburnsblog.blogspot.com/
4. Stella Ho
http://stellaanddesign.blogspot.com/
5. Hae Lin Kang
http://liah90.blogspot.com/
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Assignment 2- UPCYCLING: Rationale
Crude latex rubber has very few uses but for those which it is suitable, it often boasts many qualities which allow. Primarily you will find it used as car tyres, conveyer belts, shock absorbers and anti-vibration mountings in pipes and hoses. However rubber is not recyclable, has infinite uses and is very resilient. The material is a major source of waste in developing countries that could be put to better use. This is why for my “Upcycling” project I chose to look into the reusing of scrap tyres and their inner tubing material.
Recovering rubber is quite a process but is worth the effort. Recovering rubber is half the cost of having to use the virgin material, and most thrown away tires only have a few faults which render them unusable for vehicles, such as punctures of any size or loss of grip from years of use. Also, promoting recycling activities in exchange for basic needs such as food and clothing are effective for minimising needless waste and environmental degradation in developing countries.
95% of disposed jeans and other basic textiles are reusable, but also end their life cycle in landfill.
“If each person bought one recycled garment each year, it would save an average of 371 million gallons of water and 480 tons of chemical dyestuffs.” This is a quote from Antur Waunfawr, who founded a recycling service and recognises the amount of perfectly usable material that we are wasting. In recycling we reduce the need for sheer landfill space, reduces pressure on virgin resources as well as reducing the amount of pollution and waste of energy (estimated 50%) and resources in manufacturing a material from scratch. I also chose to make use of discarded fabrics, as its infinite variety contrasted the jet black look of the rubber mat.
Out of all the wallets I’ve ever owned only a few include a coin purse, which I feel is essential for purchasing train tickets etc. Almost none of these wallets were even vaguely appealing to me in aesthetics, being solid jet black leather or a single colour with little variation. As I have adopted an appreciation of the grungy punk culture look the mix of textiles and fabrics (tartan, checkers and ripped denim) I gathered seemed mostly appropriate to uphold this. My redesign of the wallet upcycles some rubber matting and includes a Velcro sealed coin purse made from the inner pocket of a pair of jeans, and two card pockets from various materials.
Recovering rubber is quite a process but is worth the effort. Recovering rubber is half the cost of having to use the virgin material, and most thrown away tires only have a few faults which render them unusable for vehicles, such as punctures of any size or loss of grip from years of use. Also, promoting recycling activities in exchange for basic needs such as food and clothing are effective for minimising needless waste and environmental degradation in developing countries.
95% of disposed jeans and other basic textiles are reusable, but also end their life cycle in landfill.
“If each person bought one recycled garment each year, it would save an average of 371 million gallons of water and 480 tons of chemical dyestuffs.” This is a quote from Antur Waunfawr, who founded a recycling service and recognises the amount of perfectly usable material that we are wasting. In recycling we reduce the need for sheer landfill space, reduces pressure on virgin resources as well as reducing the amount of pollution and waste of energy (estimated 50%) and resources in manufacturing a material from scratch. I also chose to make use of discarded fabrics, as its infinite variety contrasted the jet black look of the rubber mat.
Out of all the wallets I’ve ever owned only a few include a coin purse, which I feel is essential for purchasing train tickets etc. Almost none of these wallets were even vaguely appealing to me in aesthetics, being solid jet black leather or a single colour with little variation. As I have adopted an appreciation of the grungy punk culture look the mix of textiles and fabrics (tartan, checkers and ripped denim) I gathered seemed mostly appropriate to uphold this. My redesign of the wallet upcycles some rubber matting and includes a Velcro sealed coin purse made from the inner pocket of a pair of jeans, and two card pockets from various materials.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Peers Blog Comments
Jason
http://z3333692.blogspot.com/
Krista
http://kristamav.blogspot.com/
Jimmy
http://www.z3332715.blogspot.com/
Santi
http://z3330189.blogspot.com/
Ben
http://bjcyc.blogspot.com/
Great work guys (and Krista), looks great!
http://z3333692.blogspot.com/
Krista
http://kristamav.blogspot.com/
Jimmy
http://www.z3332715.blogspot.com/
Santi
http://z3330189.blogspot.com/
Ben
http://bjcyc.blogspot.com/
Great work guys (and Krista), looks great!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Experience Enrichment- Rationale
Not unlike standard gym fitness and cardiovascular equipment, dumbbells (handheld weights, often varying in weight) I find have an overly simple, outdate, industrial and purely functional look. As it is often built straight out of solid metals such as steel, the unforgiving surface often provokes calluses and other kinds of skin damage to the hand. In addition to this dumbbells are an eyesore even when they are not in use, often being kicked beneath a bed as people visit.
I felt an alternate design was required, and I looked to a sculptural design style. It would be beneficial to the market gym products in putting an end to the dumbbells incredibly unattractive aesthetic, as well as opening up opportunities to better the ergonomics as well.
The redesign of the dumbbell is improvement in many ways. In accordance to the primary goal of the redesign, the sleek silver modern finish on the metal enhances the natural beauty of the dumbbells organic shape as well as giving it a contemporary feel, allowing it to blend into the atmosphere of the modern household and/or gym. The interesting choice of shape in the dumbbell creates a talking point amongst friends and guests who encounter it; its presence is compatible with a kitchen, lobby, bedroom, bathroom or living room setting as while it is non-functional it acts as an artistic centrepiece.
The deceptively heavy weight encourages a more casual approach to weight training by using its small stature and size to subconsciously convince the user into a positive frame of mind, of being able to use the weight with ease and thus benefit. The standard dumbbell is designed and constructed perfectly symmetrically (prior to optional tampering when adjusting for a heavy or lighter weight in customizable weights) and therefore balance was no issue in need of a solution.
From the moment I first set my eyes on gym weights as a designer, I knew the age of heavy industrial weights were over. The trend of redesigning fitness equipment paves the way for the future of a public gym’s aesthetics, a more attractive exercise space, and thus potentially a more health conscious population.
The setting of the modern gym boasts to advances of design such as organically shaped treadmills. The days of heavy industrial weights are over.
I felt an alternate design was required, and I looked to a sculptural design style. It would be beneficial to the market gym products in putting an end to the dumbbells incredibly unattractive aesthetic, as well as opening up opportunities to better the ergonomics as well.
The redesign of the dumbbell is improvement in many ways. In accordance to the primary goal of the redesign, the sleek silver modern finish on the metal enhances the natural beauty of the dumbbells organic shape as well as giving it a contemporary feel, allowing it to blend into the atmosphere of the modern household and/or gym. The interesting choice of shape in the dumbbell creates a talking point amongst friends and guests who encounter it; its presence is compatible with a kitchen, lobby, bedroom, bathroom or living room setting as while it is non-functional it acts as an artistic centrepiece.
The deceptively heavy weight encourages a more casual approach to weight training by using its small stature and size to subconsciously convince the user into a positive frame of mind, of being able to use the weight with ease and thus benefit. The standard dumbbell is designed and constructed perfectly symmetrically (prior to optional tampering when adjusting for a heavy or lighter weight in customizable weights) and therefore balance was no issue in need of a solution.
From the moment I first set my eyes on gym weights as a designer, I knew the age of heavy industrial weights were over. The trend of redesigning fitness equipment paves the way for the future of a public gym’s aesthetics, a more attractive exercise space, and thus potentially a more health conscious population.
The setting of the modern gym boasts to advances of design such as organically shaped treadmills. The days of heavy industrial weights are over.