Final Design-Rational

Biomorphic

This designs natural shaped pods were inspired by hanging pod like storage pockets found in nature such as gumnuts, grapes, coconuts ect but in particular cocoons.

In terms of aesthetics the elegantly rounded structure of cocoons is extremely beautiful. I wanted my design to capture its essence of flowing delicateness.

Biometric

In nature a plant has the ability to shy away or creep towards sunlight depending on their nutritional needs. I tried to mimic this quality in my design where pods can be moved higher or lower, or the opening can be swivelled from one side to the other or the whole chain can be moved along the decking railing or inside depending on the suns position and how much sun the plant desires.

This idea of pods being able to be added and removed depending on how many plants you keep has been inspired by natures ability to adapt eg grow or kill off particular parts depending on the natural surroundings.

The main inspiration for having this storage system ‘hanging’ was vines found in nature. I was mainly inspired by their sheer strength, their ability to clasp on to foreign bodies, the fact they hang above floor level, and their extensive elongation which allows multiple structures to hang from. 

Hanging pods from roof vs hanging them off a stand

Through the research I have done on people living in medium to high density housing; the abundance of kitchen bench space, floor space, deck/courtyard floor space is a particular problem. I found that by hanging you can create pockets of storage space without taking up valuable floor space, while storage systems which need stands do take up spaces in these areas.

People living in medium-high density living can’t always put hooks into the roof or many who even own the premises are reluctant too as they fear damage. Due to this I have made my designs connection versatile so that it can hang from a roof hook but also over a deck railing or fence.

Hanging chain vs hanging rope

A chain would  provide an ease in connecting and disconnecting pods however the industrial look of most chains was too harsh when placed next to my organic pods hence I chose to use a natural ‘Malin’ rope which is both highly strong with a long life (ten years), that would suit our environmental conscious brief.

End material- Plastic-Wood composite

This material takes on woods thermal properties which are ideal to protect the roots from heat and frost. It is sustainable as it is produced from recycled plastics and waste products from the wood industry. This product will not corrode and unlike wood its plastic properties allow it to be highly resistant to rot, decay, and bio-organism attack. This material can be PVC capped which further enhances this resistance and the entire strength of the material. It also does not require painting for maintenance and can be manufactured a variety of colours.  And in contrast to the high waste involved in turning wood, this material is able to be injection moulded which leads to near no waste. Due to this materials sustainability, high resistance to weather and bio-organism attack and low maintenance it is the ideal material for my plant pods. 

Progress- Rope/Chain

Progress- How Pods Are Connected To Rope/Chain

Progress - The Pods

Three Final Concepts

Final  Design

PLANT STORAGE- Initial Brain Storming

The 11th Hour

The 11^th hour is much like Al Gorses’ documentary ‘ The Incontinent truth’, however lacks Gores optimistic view on world change. In contrast this documentary uses a ‘scare’ like tactic to preach that nature is on its ‘tipping edge’ forcing us to see immediate action must be taken. Through the opinions of  many scientist and environmentalists this documentary exposes us to the past, present and future natural devastations caused by global warming, deforestation, mass species extinction, and the depletion of ocean habitats. However although forceful this doco shows that change is possible but only through the combination of our knowledge of technology, science, conservation and social responsibility.

Wade Davis states ‘you are either a person or property’ which sums up the idea that humans have grown to think they are the superior species. This belief has caused a growing disconnection between humans and nature dramatically since the 18th century industrial revolution, where nature became seen as nothing but a ‘resource’ to our kind. Before this time our kind was dependent on nature- we ate from the land, we dressed in natural fibres and the sun was our main source of energy; this forced nature’s limitations to determine our life. However around the industrial revolution humans found other pockets of energy eg coal and oil and this reduced our limitations and allowed us to rapidly expand our population. However the changes we made and are still making including the production of polluting chemicals are causing the creation of new problems such as disease like cancer, asthma, Parkinson’s. We are really plotting our own death. Our entire human life style is now resting on unrenewable sources and only time will tell how this balancing act will end.

Our lifestyle is created around our economy instead of the biosphere. This has caused companies top priority to be growth instead of the protection of our earth. This doco conveys that due to this focus on money politics priorities are also wrong. It shows politicians see global warming as a religion ‘I believe... I don’t believe’ because they respond to the higher power of ‘oil companies’ instead of responding to the environment. This has caused the bridge between public opinion and public policies to be lost.

Fellow Designers should watch this as this documentary forces us to see ‘good design’ is the solution. It shows this by emphasizing consumerism is the problem however this problem can be fixed by simply changing the objects the consumer desires to sustainable goods. It shows us that consumerism is not bad but the extent of our consumption is out of control. It conveys that ‘bad design’ is part of the problem ‘things are thieves of life’, and as designers we should be particularly careful not to add to the problem. It is made clear design needs to go back to simple terms and be inspired by nature’s ways; follow nature’s blueprint. This doco pledges designers are the solution makers and the welfare of life is in their hands