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.

Plumen 001

Although it may sound like some kind of chemical compound used to "get rid" of foreign secret agents, the Plumen 001 is in fact a lightblub. I have come across this deisgn in several places now, namely on the Dezeen website, at EcoBuild and at the Deign Museum, along with in several design magazines. It's what environmentalists have been eagerly awaiting - a clean redesign of the energy efficient light bulb. We openly welcome you to our homes, Plumen 001!

There is a small issue with this though, and that is the small fortune you may have to part with to light your home with these. At a painful £19.95 each, the price is sure to be an issue for mainstream consumers. Although efficiency is something we must concern ourselves with due to the environment becoming an ever more important factor in our daily lives, the current (and often dreaded) energy efficient light bulb does leave a lot to be desired - so it seems Hulger and Samuel Wilkinson (the brains behind the Plumen 001) may have cracked onto something here, especially given that the UK have relatively recently introduced the EU ban on importing high energy filament bulbs. I guess rival designers will soon pounce on this nice little niche in the market, and come up with their own solutions to the energy efficent lightbulb - which should eventually drive prices down.

Taken at the Design Museum, March 2011

So, it would seem this is at least a step in the right direction. Yay for green design! I just now need to justify to myself why £19.95 is a reasonable price to pay for a lightbulb. Damn it.

Our Thoughts Are With You, Japan

from bbc.co.uk/news

I think I speak for every person in the world when I say it's a horrendous catastrophe when a natural disaster of this magnitude happens.

I am of course speaking about the earthquake that hit just off the coast of northern Japan, reading at a staggering 8.9 on the richter scale. This caused a series of smaller tremors to occur shortly after, as the aftermath of the initial disaster unfolded. A tsunami reaching heights of 10m waves crashed into the eastern coastline, causing unknown levels of damage. To call it a disaster doesn't come close to it - and my thoughts go out to every family affected, wether it be in Japan or families throughout the world who have relatives in the quake zone. Communication must be chaos at the minute, causing even more upset for those caught up in the mad panic of trying to locate loved ones.

I have been following the developments closely via the BBC News website - with live coverage of the affected areas.

Further to the awful events, there is growing concerns for a nuclear crisis, as three of the diesel powered cooling systems failed on shut down of the reactors following the earthquake, the BBC reports. Two of the three systems were stabilised with the use of mobile facilities, however one remained unstable, and although serious efforts were made to reduce worryingly high pressures building in the units - an explosion occurred yesterday at around 8pm (GMT). Today concerns are growing around a similar situation building in another unit. The radial evacuation precautions have been doubled.

The current future in Japan is highly uncertain as the country is in a state of emergency, chaos and sheer panic.

The media is portraying the general state of the situation as a whole, which is important when confusion breaks out during the early stages of disaster - although my thoughts go to those individual people who are disconnected from such reporting. Power cuts continue and panic must of well and truly set in, as those of us reading about the latest online probably know more about it than for example those that have had everything washed away, and have barely survived themselves. As the days go on, food, clean water and sanitary become an growing issue, amongst a multitude of other things, such as contact with relatives and shelter.

from bbc.co.uk/news

Every country unaffected by this will be pulling out the stops to send aid, although little can be done to aid the grief felt by those who have lost family, a lifetime of irreplaceable possessions, and even their own lives.

Perhaps this is an awaking to us all that nuclear energy is although a renewable source, far from being safe, clean or indeed the way forward. I vote Green at every possible opportunity as I constantly live in fear of issues such as this arising from nuclear power. I really do not understand the benefits at all.

That aside - our thoughts are with you, Japan.

Starbucks: "New & Improved!"

Recently while in London, we stopped off for a pretentious Starbucks in Waterloo after visiting The Tate Modern. 

60% recycled fibre you say? 

This could of been avoided completely.

After we dashed about trying to grab the last available table, we ordered our drinks, and were chatting about our plans for the rest of the day when something suddenly dawned on me - we all had paper cups. This would be fine if I had specified I was taking away, or if there was no clean mugs available for the time being, but I took a quick snoop about the other tables, and realised everyone had them.

Then, I glanced over to the counter where the drinks are prepared, and there were no mugs stacked up like normal. Not one single reusable mug. This branch wasn't even a small stand where you grab a coffee on the go, it was a proper coffee shop, with seats and Wifi - so there's no need for paper cups?

On their website regarding their recycling efforts, they state that "Reducing the environmental impact of our cups depends on the success of two interrelated efforts: developing recyclable cup solutions and dramatically increasing our customers’ use of reusable cups. "

There were no "recycling points" and as I've already said, no reusable cups.

It's all very well to talk the talk, but it appears they are far from walking the eco friendly walk - and in a large metropolis such as London, you really would expect better.

Shame on you Starbucks. Shame on you.

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: 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: 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. 

EcoOffice: Not A Home Afterall!

On Tuesday we presented our findings in our designated groups on our topic we were issued; we were given "green design".

After that, we were issued our briefs commencing from then until 1st April. Instead of what we assumed would be renovating a pre-existing site into an sustainable home, we have been given the similar task of designing a sustainable autonomous office in an existing industrial style building on Tannadice Street, Dundee.

Within this we must create: an entrance and reception, a waiting area, offices housing space for 24 employees, CEO office, 4 manager's offices, a cafeteria, toilets, 2 meeting rooms, a research lab for 4 employees, a library and "quiet space", storage facility and cleaning stores. 

We must concern ourselves with trying to maintain sustainability throughout. I intend to aim for LEED standards, and as autonomous as possible. Thankfully there is no budget to concern ourselves with!

I also intend to try to aim to increase employee eco awareness, and thus not only reduce the emissions of the building on it's own, but also the personal emissions of the employees. The office is hypothetically to be housed by SEPA, so aiming for 100% zero emissions of the building and employees is essential. I have created a few mind maps which I will add once I scan them.

Here is my preliminary research (A1):

On 1st of March EcoBuild will be held in London for three days, to which me and a few classmates will be attending, gaining invaluable knowledge in the eco building materials world. Unfortunately this means a lot of flyer collecting - which is not too environmentally friendly. Whoops!

Save The World, Turn It Off

Here is a motivational animation I found while surfing the interwebs, which I tweeted. Statistics don't half make you feel guilty.

So help save the world, and turn it off!

EcoHouse: Go Green!

By not driving, and turning electrical items off properly rather than leaving them on standby, I have reduced my footprint below the UK average. It feels good! 

Currently we are researching in small groups, as a small mini project before beginning "EcoHouse". I took a short test to see my Carbon Footprint, which you can take on The Guardian's website.

We are in the middle of creating a presentation, trying to condense the term "green design" into a concise definition - something that sounds simple but is quite complex once you start digging into the terms sustainability, eco-friendly, zero emissions, and carbon neutral etc. 

I used my new app "MindNode" to clean up our mind maps, which if anything, show how exponential it can get. I hope to post our final definition on Monday, as presentations will be held on Tuesday. 

There is more to be added - we broke it down into the following: architecture, energy, interiors, product design, furniture, health and materials - which have been delegated amongst us to research further over the weekend. I will be looking at architecture and energy.

Life: How Far Around The Globe Can You Push Design?

My aunt's tent in Antarctica (not for the whole duration of her stay, I may add!)

Recently, I have been suffering quite severe anxiety attacks, which, for those of you who are unaware of how these can affect people - cause pent up anxiety to overwhelm you at any point, without warning or any provoking, creating a state of confusion in the victim leading to difficulty in concentrating, along with headaches, dizziness, slowed reactions, numb limbs, and, during prolonged states of anxiety can cause insomnia and loss of appetite. It is far from a pleasant experience. You also become your own worst enemy as you start to dread the onset of another episode, which ironically - can cause it. It's just something that you learn to deal with, as it tends to re-surface periodically throughout your life.

When this does happen though, I have found that perspective is very important when it comes to snapping out of it. And I don't mean an isometric perspective, I mean a perspective on life - that you, as an individual are a mere pin prick on the earths surface. Something you may consider mammoth in your life - doesn't even scratch the surface of the world. It's nothing. A mere spec of dust. I don't mean to get philosophical - but it's hard to comprehend until you start to really appreciate that you make up a mere 0.00000005% of the world. Even then, that's only out of humans, there's then other mammals, plant life, marine life, birds, reptiles, insects. Species that have since become extinct, whatever may be out in space, and so forth. I know we, as designers, are supposed to aim to beat the statistics that are against us - be the ones to make the difference, but when I sift through images on the National Geographic it's only then I realise what we do doesn't even come close to impacting on the tranquil places around the world. The tranquil places that most of us will only ever see photographs of. How for example, does cutting edge interior design impact or improve life in the Peruvian Inca communities? How would fantastic thought provoking graphic design influence Sri Lanken farmers? The answer is, 99% of the time it doesn't. Blissfully unaware of these things means communities such as these around the globe have a totally different perspective on the world, and the significance of design is minimal.

That, is what I think of anyway, when I find myself in a state of panic and anxiety.

Humpback Whale Breaching - ©National Geographic 

I got a similar engulfing feeling when I went on a trip off the coast of Cape Cod to see hump back whales. They were so elegant and graceful for their size, you were unbelievably overwhelmed by them. They said usually you would only get a short sighting of perhaps 1-2 in total - however we came across between 9-12 whales, 2 or 3 of which bonded with the boat and breached closely - something the guide had never seen in 20 years. There's something magnificent about when a whale of that magnitude breaches and sinks their tail in the effortless way they do. Like I said - it makes you feel like an ant, a mere insect to the vast world out there. You suddenly want to dis-concern yourself with trivial local issues that are minor in the grand scheme of what is out there to be discovered.

Furthermore, my aunt is currently in Antarctica for a year. Blissfully unaffected by social chaos. No public transport delays. No Royal Mail muck ups. No complaints to be made at customer services. No waste.

Just silence. Endless silence that stretches for what may as well be eternity. Untouched landscape, that's not polluted by engine fumes, nor litter. No signs enforcing society's rules upon you. No smoking ban. No traffic jams. Just absolute, perfect, clean, uncontaminated, blissful, silence. There must be something appealing about it - given that this is her second trip there. Sometimes even the biggest of city slickers like myself, yearn for peace. 

But, as there is no rest for the wicked - it's back to the studios tomorrow.

Ding ding ding, round two!