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. 

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.

Reduce|Reuse|Recycle: New Year, New Project, Re[new]able Energy!

First of all, let me just wish everybody a Happy New Year and all that! 

The festivities are over once again, that is of course, until the inevitable giant magical revolving calendar door does a full circle bringing us into 2012 - along with the Olympic Games and the end of the world (if Nostradamus is anything to go by). But enough of the apocalyptic chat.

On a lighter note: I got a morph in my stocking! YAS!

After a much needed rest after first semester - I'm more than recharged for jumping back into the deep end with my forthcoming project: sustainability. There are a few aspects to this project, but from what I have gathered from last years briefs which are still available online, we are required to consider (but not solely limited to) the following: 

1. Investigate and question what the journey is surrounding books, including their content and presentation. What makes a book? Concern ourselves with the art of book binding, and the creation of precious texts and so forth. 
2. Sustainability within design. How does the environment influence design? What products have been designed specifically with the environment in mind? What must we be taking into consideration when designing for the future?
3. Locating possible job positions that we would like to consider as a graduate - what would we consider as a derivative position from the course content?

From the above background research, we are asked to then create a book with green content in small groups. As a result, we will have an upcycled handmade book - that is, to recycle and reuse existing products and waste materials into something of equal or better quality and therefore reduce the need to manufacture brand new products (to downcycle is to create new products that are inferior to the original)(McDonough & Braungart, 2002). 

Further to the aforementioned pre-project tasks, we are then to carry on our findings, progressing onto redesigning and upcycling an existing 2‐storey dwelling with attic extension incorporating living/working accommodation for a client, Emma Fraser, who is a book conservator in the University of Dundee. 

We must accommodate for our client’s requirements, including: a space to cook and eat, a space to bathe, a space to entertain and/or relax, 2 spaces to sleep one for Emma and one for visitors, a space to work (40m2)(24m2 studio – clean space, 10m2 dirty area and 6m2 storage), and a space for outdoor living/working.

art is what you can get away with, after all

I've already downloaded the plans and printed them, and even got on with some preliminary SketchUp ideas - I was after all feeling like I needed to stuck in with something new. I've also just ordered my Design Studies books, as the snow's melted, and deliveries are now possible again! Whoopie! 

I got several things this Christmas that will be joining me in the studio when we return; including a Morph in my stocking which will join me at my desk, as well as origami post-it notes! My favourite silly gift is still an Andy Warhol "inspiration box" that houses a miniature Andy Warhol to help inspire me when it's rainy and windy and not very pleasant - so that's daily really. 

It will soon be time to visit EcoBuild in London again (I've ordered my pass already), but this time I think it will be much more valuable - as our project is more concerned with these aspects of building. Sustainability is something we should always concern ourselves with, as it is our future. I'm gathering a library of ecological materials that I will research into further in time, but for now as it is still the holidays - they can continue to gather dust in my Eco bookmarks folder, while I continue to add more as and when I come across them.

See you all soon, folks!

Furniture Design: Implosion!

Welcome to our final outcome - our light installation development video. 

There was a minor disaster early on the morning of the presentation, as when the final arch was moved to make space for the 4th years critique session, the arch collapsed. Fragile, much.


With help from Malcolm the interiors workshop technician however, it was erected again and put on display in the Level 5 Matthew Gallery space for presentation. A series of stills were shown interlaced with short video clips of the processes we went through during out time in the workshop. Among our presentation were our final InDesign presentation sheets, which can be viewed on my Portfolio page.


We got a good reception during presentation, and with all the usual difficulties associated with group work aside - I think we are all pleased with the outcome.  Below is a series of images after the original completion:

Furniture Design: DeFrustrate - ReFrustrate

Currently we are in a bit of a state of limbo - and as a result, I'm not sure as to where this project is going anymore. We have had some what of a turning point. I guess every good story has one, so here it is.

A short chat with our tutor has revealed that we are going down a "brutalistic" route, which, given architecturally the building in which we study - seems apt to me. An open brief such as ours, and with subsequent in-depth research, surely means that we are open to interoperate the brief and outcome in any such way we see fit.

Not only this, but we had gained only 4 brand new pallets, with later access to limitless materials, however not in quite such perfect condition. We had been advised to break down the pallets into the blocks we wished to work in, and play with compositions, documenting the process by photograph for development purposes. However, as a result of going through the aforementioned process, it means the pallets that we wished to maintain as our surface material due to their condition have been sawn into blocks - which may (and undoubtably will, given my recent luck in life) render them useless as we move towards a new direction.

I'm at a bit of a loss as to what direction the group are to move in next, as not only do we have a diverse group in terms of opinion - which previously proved difficult when narrowing down design from endless and vast variations, but we also have to go through this process all over again - with only 17 days until presentation.

Crap.

Furniture Design: Deconstruct-Reconstruct

Since the last post about my on going project in the studios with Emma and Hamish, we have decided upon several things. Firstly, the "living" aspect of it - to which we had intended on incorporating living plants within the pieces, has been scrapped. Secondly, we have decided that, given the pallets may only be cut in a set amount of ways to maintain their strength, we thought it best to build these on SketchUp and play around with compositions in blocks, not unlike Tetris.

This modular aspect had several benefits - one of which being that is allows us to create an "interlocking" system using the pre-existing blocks, to perhaps allow users to arrange the piece in ways suited best to them. It meant that it was more sociable, and catered for perhaps two individual smaller groups of people, or a larger group. We also had mutually agreed to keep the light sculpture aspect, as it created a recreational area by day, as well as being an installation come light feature by night. Currently, we are researching into how to tackle the outdoor lighting issue. For the purposes of this project, I think we will provide indoor lighting, with plans for it to be on a grander scale including safe outdoor lights.

Other things that have been discussed include: it's purpose, who would use it? For this we have come to the decision that it could be potentially mass produced, and used in recreational parks. The interlocking feature of it also allows for it to be transported.

Obviously due to the many compositions available we will continually be developing the final outcome. I suspect that by the end of the project, we will have some form of light installation come seating - however what form it shall be in, is yet to be set in stone.

I have included some images below to document our process so far. Two of the delivery pallets have been sawn down in the two basic ways we have agreed on. From here we will arrange, re-arrange, de construct, and arrange once more until we are happy!

Furniture Design: Pallets Pallets Pallets

I haven't updated about the recent goings on in my current furniture project. 

It has been mutually decided that we will use 100% found and recycled objects to build our piece. Initally we had been keen on using a log, however it turned out to be unfeasible - not only would it be difficult to locate, but it is unmanageable in the workshop. So therefore, it was on to plan B. Pallets.

Fortunately we got our hands on a selection of pallets from our Students Union who kindly let us huff and puff them up a set of stairs, up a ramp (on a hill), then across gravel, and into the studios. We kept them there for a few in days in order for them to dry off as they had been somewhat damp due to the beautiful weather we are currently encountering. This also gave us a few days to mull over what to do. 

What to do, indeed! Some items had been delivered to the university on clean new pallets to it was decided that we should do a trial run with our first batch, in order to get used to working with this type of material. After our recent "bomb project" we thought a quick, one day installation project using the pallets would be appropriate, so came up with building a pallet tree - by this I mean, crow barring apart the pallets and using the reclaimed planks to build a tree sculpture. It also had the nice aspect of putting the wood through a full cycle of life - once a tree, then it was felled, made into a pallet, used as intended, and then back into a tree. 

It's not entirely finished because as it turns out, crow barring these are not as easy as it was first thought. 

I'd make a rubbish car thief.

I&ED: Bomb Project

During the beginning of this week, the entire I&ED department was split into mixed year groups. Each group was given a word as a starting point, and asked to inhabit a predefined space within the studios and convey our word via any means we pleased. We had two and a half days in which to complete this.

My team were given the term "shop", to which we responded with a shirt, cut into pieces, and strung up using fishing line to create a "floating shirt". They were also hung at different depths, to depict a different image from every angle, thus conveying how people see shopping in different lights. Some shop for pleasure, others - necessity. The individual pieces were re-covered in either advertisements cut from various papers and magazines, other areas were covered in money - representing consumerism.

shop

Other teams also came up with some interesting ideas:

learn

learn

I'm sure there will more pictures to add come tomorrow, as the final presentation of all the outcomes will be displayed during the afternoon.