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.

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.

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.

Great Ideas -- Green/St. Patrick's Day {1}

{Amy Tried It}

 {A Girl and a Glue Gun}

   {Less Than Perfect Life of Bliss}



 

 

 {The Magic of Ordinary Things}

  {30 Handmade Days}

 {Spare Time Sanity}

{Funky Polka Dot Giraffe}

 

 {Sweet and Lovely Crafts}

 {Daydream Believers}

 {Who's Watching the Baby?}

{madigan made}

 {Bonjour!}

{Duct Tape and Hot Glue Gun}

 {Agape Love}

{Nifty Thrifty Things}

{That's My Letter}

{Homemaker on a Dime}

{Embellishing Life}

{Two Twenty One}

{Tales of a Trophy Wife}

 

{Felt So Cute}

{Norikraft}

{Organize and Decorate Everything}

 {This Little Life of Mine}

{The Black's Best}

 

{Pressed Down, Taken Together}

{A Whisk and a Prayer}

{Momma Go Round}

{Little Wonders' Days}

{The Pike Family}

{What Allie's Making Now}

{Inspiring Creations}

I went through some of the projects last night and I can't wait to go through the rest!! 

There are so many great ideas linked up!!

DIY, Decorating, Crafts, Sewing Projects!! Be sure to check them out and I'd love to see YOUR ideas!!

Link up and you can win $30 to 

Treasured by Holly

Another Great Ideas Feature Post coming up tonight!! 

xoxo