Summer is here

I've been exceedingly quiet recently, due to my project being in full swing. Finally, as deadline was on Monday 2nd May, I can finally update with my outcome.

I tried to create an interior that reflected The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency's (SEPA) field, as well as creating a fun space in which to work. I also wanted new visitors to be surprised by their interesting surroundings, thus promoting the crucial work that SEPA do. When I visited their branch in Arbroath, it became apparent they were working in mundane office conditions which makes motivation within their staff difficult to achieve, as well as downplaying their work for visitors entering.

I tried to create an urban jungle, taking industrial brutalism and infusing it with the impurities and lack of uniform seem in the environment. For example, the 4 managers office spaces are all next to each other, however I made small differences between them, similar to how tree's grow. You can plant them in a row but no two will grow the same. Some have slightly bigger floorspace, however have a lower ceiling, or partial ceiling. Some have views into communal areas of the building, and some have drops from the above floor down into their space - however all have smart glass facades, which may be turned "on" or "off" depending on the privacy required.

Details

EcoOffice: Easter Break & Deadlines

Quick update - the current project is going well.

It's now the Easter holidays, although by no means will this be a holiday as the deadline is on the 2nd May.  This means as I now plan into my final decent, I need to make final decisions upon how to present it all. We have been informed that it is not necessary to produce a scale model, but for those of us with presentations lacking a model, we must produce other scaled representations. In this case, I do not intend to build a model as my design has developed into a dense space, making a model too time consuming to do to a standard I would be happy with, not to mention being of little use as it would not be sufficiently viewable. I have chosen to provide plans that will be printed and displayed separately, along with an exploded axonometric, and an isometric showing colour coded departments.

The remainder of our materials fee which is paid annually will be put towards our printing costs, totally 2 A0 sheets, and for a small fee we can opt for a third. As I plan not to make the model, I will continue onto a third presentation sheet.

I am currently battling the baffling realm that is rendering software, which I have a feeling may continue on for some weeks yet.

Planning, I am very good at. Now however, execution is required. Thankfully Carol, our tutor, reassured me on Friday that I am further ahead than I thought I was - and in fact almost finished, so therefore should take a break. Clearly she doesn't know me very well still, because I won't be taking a break from this until it's finished and checked. And checked again. And then edited. And re-exported. And checked.

www.hku.nl

Lastly of my things to update about, I submitted my final application form for the Erasmus exchange programme just over a week ago. I spent a long time getting paranoid over my personal statement and portfolio, in fear I wouldn't do it justice and damaging my chances at such a good opportunity to meet new people and visit new places. I chose to apply to the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, with no second option as I didn't want to travel elsewhere if I were to be unsuccessful in my first choice. But alas, all is done and submitted now so lest not fret about what can not be changed. But I will fret, it's what I do best after all.

EcoOffice: All Quiet On The Western Front

I suppose I've been pretty quiet in terms of posting about my current project.

We were given an extension over the Easter break as it seemed that the project was too large in comparison to the time scale we were given. This works out at an approximate extra 4 weeks - which is a huge amount of time. As a result of the extra time however, a more refined and substantial presentation is now expected to warrant the large extension.

exterior cladding and signage (foliage)

entrance

reception area and lift shaft to rear left, with waiting area to left (out of shot). Green wall to right in reception, and containers housing two meeting rooms, which can be adjusted to create one much larger space

Cantina space with CEO office at rear, glass panelling to rear left allowing views into lab space. Glass partition doubles as a white board for staff notices.

Lower: quiet space and digital library (kindle bar). Upper showing two of four manager office spaces.

Upper level for main work space, with locker facility (foreground, right) and large windows (top left). Views into lab space from rear right. Obviously work still to do here, as there is no barriers along platforms! Green wall to right, and on lift shaft.

I'll blog about this further when I have more time, apologies for the short but sweet post!

That's all folks!

Yanko Design

While trawling through endless products online to include in my final outcome for my conceptual design for a Dundee branch of SEPA offices, I came across Yanko Design, an online magazine dedicated to various aspects of design, including industrial, product and interior design.

A few products fascinated me, as not only do they look seamless and elegant, but many of them also have an environmental aspect, something that is crucial during this project.

This interesting take on the extension lead is energy saving as well as innovative - something that I'm sure would come in handy in an office environment. The "Powerful Branches" designed by Eunsung Kwon also has the useful ability to adapt as required by simply adding in a modular "branch", meaning it can grow to suit any demand.

Another product I came across was "One Litre Limited" by Yonggu Do, Dohyung Kim & Sewon Oh. This is a faucet that is limited to the use of one litre of water, before requiring to be turned off, allowed to fill, and turned on again. It promotes user awareness of how much water they use, as opposed to the 6l used in just 30 seconds of a standard running tap.

It helps that it's a nice design too!

Lastly, the "Eco Shelf", by Seung-Hyun Yoon, Seol-hee Son & Jo Chal-youn is something that is minimal as well as useful. It's essentially your cooling system built into your surroundings, minimising the intrusion of large appliances such as air cons. Oddly, I have already designed a similar bar area for the cantina space, so this would be a perfect product to incorporate, as I have not considered the space for such an appliance yet.

If you would like to follow Yanko Design on Twitter, you can catch them at @yankodesign.

EcoBuild: One week until LDN

Well, I have had my confirmation email, assuring me my pass for EcoBuild 2011 is on it's way!

To those who are reading this and are not in the sustainable industry, I am not surprised if you are moving your cursor to exit this post now - but don't.

Everybody is in the sustainable industry. Do you eat? Do you heat your home? Do you travel by any means other than walking or cycling? I'm going to put all my money on your answer being yes.

Without sounding like a Green Peace volunteer that chases you down the street asking for phone numbers and email addresses - protecting and reviving the environment is something we should all concern ourselves with. People seem to think (or tell themselves to ease the guilt) that it won't affect them in their life time, so why bother. It's too much of an irritation to their daily life to consider recycling that sandwich carton, or not take the plastic carrier bag for their meal deal at lunch.

Well, without harping on - it will. I try never to use plastic bags, either just using that age old technique of carrying the one item you have purchased by hand, or using reusable jute bags. It's so easy to incorporate into your lives, and, if everyone was to do this also - would make a difference. I posted a video a few weeks ago about turning off computers - something that seems to trivial and tiny, but, on mass makes an astounding difference.

EcoBuild 2010

Well, why am I going on about saving the rain forests and being green? Aside from it being a personal interest - next week is EcoBuild in London - an annual conference in which thousands of people from various industries gather to educate and promote sustainable products. It's a fantastic opportunity for us young student designers to gain knowledge about products covering a vast array of topics, including contraction materials, surface finishes, techniques, and services that are all from a sustainable background - and the best part is, it's free to attend!

There are also various speeches given throughout the 3 day event (Tues 1st March - 3rd March 2011) including several familiar names - one household name this year being Kevin McCloud - although I personally am not a fan.

This will be the second time I myself will be attending, although hopefully this year without the mix up of passes there was during 2010's event - to which we waiting in a line longer than the average street.

I will post my findings after my visit - along with any other worth while things I encounter during my visit to London.

EcoOffice: Visit to SEPA Arbroath

On Wednesday, Paula, Christina and myself took a trip to Arbroath to interview one of the members of staff at SEPA's Arbroath offices. We tried to put together a selection of questions that the brief had not answered, and although he was very helpful, we have been left with some questioned still unanswered.

One of the main aspects that we were unsure about tackling, was a potential laboratory in the fictitious Dundee branch. Unfortunately, Arbroath is such a small office, it does not have such a facility. We were told however, that Aberdeen offices had recently opened their new building, which had labs. As a result of finding this out, we are currently deliberating wether or not to visit, as time is also becoming a factor.

The building itself in Arbroath was an old doctors surgery, and was reasonably old. Due to this, there was little sustainable aspects, and pretty much what you would imagine any office environment to be like. Coffee rings on desks, paper mounting up in piles, and the odd indoor plant to brighten things up. We also timed our visit just as it was being painted, with eco friendly paint I hope!

One of the questions we asked was if there was a running theme throughout the offices, and the answer was basically they would like to have the SEPA logo colours incorporated throughout. It's a teal colour, not unlike some of the typeface on my blog. This I assume, is not difficult for us to use during the remainder of our task.

A lot of our answers were based around what SEPA do as an organisation, and not so much about design itself. Although at first I was unsure as to how much help this may be, I have come to realise that the better we understand how they work, the easier it is for us to understand how to improve working conditions - and only after this, incorporate the sustainability factor. One of the things that is a result of this was realising that office employees also have a role out with the office itself, as they sometimes visit sites. An offshoot of this is that they also use equipment on site that in Arbroath's case, is currently kept in garage space some 10 minutes away. This is food for thought, as equipment space was not a requirement of the initial brief.

A lot of the facts that we were told can be found on their website, including annual pdf reports, documenting statistical data regarding SEPA's office emissions.

All in all it was a useful trip as it let us get an insight into how they work, although ultimately a trip to their Aberdeen offices would also be beneficial.

filing space seems to be an issue

...definitely need more filing space

a bit of a theme appears to be coming apparent

recycling efforts - I'm sure we could aim higher!

as a borderline OCD sufferer for organisation - this stresses me out!

EcoOffice: Site Analysis

The necessary evil that is Site Analysis is now complete! 

I have included this on my blog to document everything that I have been doing for my current project - which covers an array of things. As I have already said though, site analysis is just one of the necessary evils associated with such a project. We have to document every aspect of the location, with regards to how these aspects will affect a potential build. 

Trawling census statistics is far from fun.

image from google images

EcoOffice: Materials Documents

Below are a few of the pages from the pdf I am currently putting together, documenting all the materials I plan to use throughout my building renovation. It will read as somewhat of a brochure that has been specifically put together with this building in mind, and include as many sustainable products as possible.

I plan on gaining most of my knowledge base for this aspect of the project from EcoBuild at the end of the month, which is held annually in London.  As I develop these ideas, I will add the relevant pages as and when they are created. 

EcoOffice: Location, Location, Location!

Here are a few photographs I took when we visited the site for our current project last Thursday. It's quite big but due to it currently acting as a storage space, it is difficult to visualise the full space that would be available to us. At the moment I am considering keeping as much of the original features as possible - mainly the partial floor to the right and perhaps the windows on the roof, although I am also considering a green roof. 

The owner of the building also kindly offered to give us access again in the future if needs be, which may be helpful once we have developed our designs further and need to perhaps go back to check specific things.

EcoOffice: Material Research

I thought I would just take the opportunity to share with you all some images I have been collecting for my current project.

The areas I have been directing my research towards include renovation, loft and warehouse apartment conversions, old freight elevator cages (mostly wooden), factory conversions, reclaimed wooden railway sleepers, industrial renovations and a lot of other stuff down the more technical route, such as smartglass and various eco-insulation brands. 

factory conversion

although these are eco friendly, I'm not sure I could take any more pallets!

this is one of my favourites so far, although I had more space in mind!

incorporating 'living spaces' within the office I think will prove valuable, as not only
will it increase the feel good factor having an impact on staff morale, but it will reduce the
carbon emissions

Terramac is an ingenious product from Japan which is essentially an indoor
living carpet

Kubala-Washatko Architects in Wisconsin, USA have converted an old
factory for their sustainable offices

the open plan space keeps the air circulating, exactly what is needed in a
communal area such as a reception and waiting space

this type of structure on show is how I envision the offices to be, although
with more platforms creating partial floors

bringing nature indoors serves as a reminder to protect the environment

Further to this research, I looked at freight elevators to provide disabled access. I want to keep the industrial factory-esque theme, and a salvaged fright elevator would be ideal. These are commonly seen in loft or warehouse apartment conversions, seem most often in the likes of Boston, New York, San Francisco, and London. 

these old industrial freight cage elevators are highly sought after
for warehouse conversions, and can be salvaged from old
factories and warehouses

We are set to visit the site on Thursday, however as it is close to my house I took a wander there this morning armed with my DSLR. Unfortunately however, aside from the rather overcast sky, it is right next to the stadium for Dundee United Football Club - and today happened to be a day where they are playing at home. Aside from police cones along the road, the road being blocked off, a man from Sky Sports wandering around, and a coach in the way, the Hibs coach turned up - so I decided to call it a day. Hopefully Thursday will be more successful - and at least we will get a look inside the building as well, as it is currently under lock and key.