STUDIO SPRING TERM

MOTO, Inc. 

Design Goal: To design a product that answers a specific design question within 

the hospital space.  We are working to create beautiful and functional stands that utilizes new and intriguing tablet technology, currently flying off the shelf in the shape of the

i-Pad. 

WINTER TERM Post Review: My Product Becomes Functioning

After the reviews I brought the Splash Herb Garden back to my parents own kitchen, where it is currently being used. They filled it with Lavender, Rosemary, Mint, and Cilantro. I'm really excited by how well it is functioning in a real setting. The layers of black river rocks and mesh are keeping the soil well contained while letting water drain directly into the sink. My parents sink faucet also reaches perfectly over the little garden and my mom uses this as an additional watering method. I'm really pleased with how well this design has translated into a real environment.

Splash Herb Garden in my parents kitchen

The lip letting water drain fits perfectly over the sink edge

The faucet reaches over garden to water plants without using anything else

Seeing my product in use has taught me things that I think are important to note as part of this design process. Although in some kitchens grow lights are essential my parents kitchen does not need them with all of its natural light due to huge windows. Furthermore because of these large windows I am less drawn to the vertical elements in this design, although in other kitchens I love them. The metal rod and lamp hood are removable and my parents could use only the bottom section if desired. I think this flexibility in the design is important because it allows the product to adjust to the kitchen environments it becomes placed within. Although the bottom seems so basic it is functioning so well in my parents kitchen that I think it could develop into its own product.

Final Model Images & Redesign Concepts

Splash Herb Garden

Winter 484 studio

36 x 42 Design Board

FINAL presentation layout : winter 2009

 

 

Review Feeback:

• The top heatbent hood is remimesent of the green traditional library lamps (could consider other forms although this one works)
  
• Look up designer Natalie Jerije
• Reviews really responded to the material
• The aesthetics of the bar at the top makes people want to use it as a handle. I need to recognize this and make sure it is structurally capable
• Use electric light with plug and run the cord down the pipe. Make it invisible
• Consider the element of this piece at night. How will the lighting effect the ambiance? This can be changed by coloration of bulbs. 
• The metal should have a finish
• Maybe consider how the edge coming into the sink can be more universal. Consider making it extendable? 

Review Crit Photos

Final Model Design and fabrication

Construction:

Overview: steps

1. lazor cut Acrylic sheet 

2. sand blasted each piece both sides

3. cleaned each sheet, spray painted one side white 

4. Glued pieces in place, bent the steel pipe in the metals room

5.Took entire piece and sandblasted it in the big craft center sand blaster

6. touch ups with 600 grit sandpaper

7. Filled with layer of river rocks, topped with mesh to contain soil

8. Moved Herbs into the container

The top is supported by rubber rings, This is structurally very strong ( i tested the strength to make sure the light was secure). Also the rings allow for some level of adjustability. For example the lamp can be lowered for starts. 

Bottom view of the light instillation into the upper hood. The upper hood is a lazor cut piece of acrlic. The arclic was then bent with a heat gun. 

The base box before becoming attached to the top fixture.

Close up of the support brackets I lazor cut and glued in place into the lower body. The metal pipe runs thru the 1/4 " holes and rests on the bottoms. 

DRAINAGE:

Below the plants and soil is a layer of black river rocks. The large river rocks are too big to slide out but allow for visual intrigue and drainage. Above this are two layers of mesh that are small enough to keep soil within the container during watering.

Design renderings: 

Process Sketches of product

Class Input:

-"one water glass" idea - the concept that when people go to the sink they often grab a glass of water, drink half of it, and dump the rest out. What if this excess could easily be poured into the "sink herb garden" instead? 

-Put further consideration into the water holding at the top (perhaps incorporating the element of rain), drainage at the base, and adding lighting. 

-Materiality: consider using plastic or something semi-transparent, sheet metal (stainless steel), or the possibility of ceramics. (putting a logo on the design?)

-stainless steel fabricators

MAC industries and Elliott's Speciality Sheet Metal Inc.

bending sheet metal, wielding (consider spot wielding)

Consider fabric hinges between metal segments

Basic Form Study Models

Interplay Between Reused Water and Design.

Considering how function molds shape.

Garden Sink Interlocking Relationship

As my design becomes refined I am interested in how the garden can be linked to a water source. As water becomes a increasingly valued resource we must learn to use it wisely. This can partly be done by reusing grey water, which has significant impacts on overall household water usage.  I am looking at the space directly behind the sink as a viable location for a herb garden. This garden could be set up so that wash water could be used on the plants. I'm looking into all different methods of how this could happen. I'm also interested in how by flipping a switch drained water can be returned to the sink. This sort of system seems pretty straightforward and streamline. I think it can also be visually beautiful as well. Perhaps when water filters out it could create a sound? Maybe it could be useful and artful....

As far as physical work I am currently building a working prototype in my own kitchen to play with the design and how the shape can interact with the sink and the cycling of water can be most efficient. 

I've been inspired lately by Veg. itecture: investigating vegetated architecture beyond green. It's very interesting but geared towards a larger scale of design. 

http://www.vegitecture.net/2009/11/ebbw-vale-vertical-gardens.html

                                 

                                  

                                               

Notes on what plants can grow where:

1. leafy vegetables like lettuce, cabbage, and greens do well in limited sunlight, making good choices for partly shady areas.
2. More Sunshine ( or lighting) consider: tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, beans, carrots, radishes. Or vine crops like squash (need support to not break), pumpkins, and cucumbers ( but the container must be deep enough to accommodate them in terms of size).
3. Peas: green peas or English peas. 
4. Tomatoes: can be trained up a fence, or can grow upside down
5. cucumber: this is a great plant for vertical planting. The tendrils look for vertcal things to grab onto. 
6. Beans: all beans come in either pole or bush varieties. pole beans would be good in a vertical wall layout
7. consider bell peppers, and lima beans
8. passion fruit, melons and grapes can also all be grown vertically
9. corn grown vertically naturally and beans can be attatched to stocks as they grow upwards.

I am looking at what plants can be grown in vertical garden environments, as well as what plants have the ability to lower air pollution (which is an increasing problem in city living). I was looking at a particular study done by NASA that directly relates to these questions. The study was originally conducted to clean up air within space ships. Below are the basics of what I gained from this research:

1. Indoor air pollution is often worse than outdoor air pollution due to chemicals within homes
2. from cleaners and disinfectants to the VOC's emitted from carpets and paints etc, indoor air pollution sometimes builds up.
3. the study showed that many houseplants also remove harmful elements such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and formaldehyde from the air. Plus they're removing CO2 anyways. 
4. Three main chemicals are found in your home. Trichloroethylene is used in paints and varnishes, Formaldehyde is used in many building materials and Benzene is found often in paints.
   

5. Although all plants help indoor air pollution, some are better than others in absorbing chemicals and removing CO2. You can get most of these houseplants right from your nursery. It’s always handy to have some plants in your home.. but these are some of the best:

   • Philodendron scandens or domesticum
   • Dracaena
   • English ivy
   • Spider plant
   • golden pothos
   • peace lily
   • Chinese evergreen
   Here are two links that show the research around the NASA study
   http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930072972_1993072972.pdf
   
   
   
   
   
   http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930073015_1993073015.pdf
   

Click to enlarge:

  

http://www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com

I have been really inspired by the work of Patrick Blanc. His work has helped me gain a better understanding of the environments plants can grow within, especially on vertical spaces. I have been in e-mail contact with him asking more specific questions about how I might achieve my project goal. This is ultimately creating a self contained food yielding garden within a small urban apartment environment. I want this product to utilize vertical space within the apartment, not be messy, use gray water, and be specialized to grow a few varieties of plants.

This is not a Patrick Blanc project but the rendering shows the idea of a pump in water circulation which could be interesting. After reading his work I am interesting in how an edible vertical garden space could also help with apartment climate control and air filtration. 

                                          

                                              

Youtube Video I watched about "edible living walls"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O--eJ6wSuQE

I have been trying to expand my understanding of vertical gardening practices and designs, as well as continuing to gather information about organic practices and gray water use. So far here are some of the most influential sources and designers I have been exploring. 

• "The Vertical Garden: From Nature to the City" By Patrick Blanc     (Really amazing book by famous garden designer Patrick Blanc)

Here is an except from Patrick Blanc that I found interesting:

                                 

• Bouroullec Design    http://www.bouroullec.com/    

(Influential team of french designers)

• "Hotspotting" By: Natalie Barrass     

http://hotspotting.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/diy-vertical-gardening 

(About starting your own vertical garden)

Below is a photo of what she describes as the EASY GREEN SYSTEM, desinged by ELT (Elevated Landscape Technologies). It is distributed in the UK by Aldingbourne Nurseries. I was intereseted in looking at system of gardening that were used outside of the United States. She writes that the benefits of living walls, bio-walls, Green walls, Vertical walls, and Mur Vegetals are as follows:

1. look great
2. save space
3. provide habitat for wildlife (in certain cases)
4. reduce noise (could be a selling point for apartments?)
5. cool urban areas in hot weather
6. filter the air

I got interesting in the ELT Living Wall Systems and found this site that helped explain it to me.

http://www.eltlivingwalls.com

http://www.eltlivingwalls.com/living-walls (focuses on living walls in particular)

• http://oasisdesign.net       (looking at Gray water information)

• http://interiorzine.com   (looking at designs for vertical indoor gardens)  Interzine Designs I found visually intriguing:

              

• Lushe Urban Greening (looking at Metaphy Products, self sufficient urban gardens)
  

          http://www.lushe.com.au/tag/metaphys-products

• Meaphys Design             http://www.metaphys.jp/product/en/                                      METAPHYS garden "factory" planter                                                                            METAPHYS garden "picture" planter                                                                                              both 2005 winner of the good design award

I was really interested in the packaging for indoor gardens that this company uses. Below are the indoor grass planters that Metaphy designs

Urban Greenery: Celebrating Plants in Cities 

(tracks inovative planting designs and concepts within urban settings worldwide)

http://urbangreens.tumblr.com