Rachael Sigley

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.