Progress

So, apart from being very aware that I need to update this blog more often, there has been quite a lot of progress.

As far as my business module is going, I am halfway through writing my first-draft which is extremely stressful but promising.

The final project, which I'm sure people are more interested in, is moving along more slowly than originally anticipated which means the levels are going to have to be cranked up starting Monday morning. I'm using mortar rather than concrete now, which still allows me to use recycled aggregate and cement replacements. I am also looking at using come ink toners to try some crazy colours so will keep you posted on that!

The main question I have to ask is how would you react to a dining set that was made out of cement, sand and recycled concrete? What if that dining set was magenta or cyan? Guess someone lucky will find out soon enough!

Guru Day

Yesterday we had "Guru Day," it was inspiring and really helpful to speak to people in industry and find out what they thought of where my project was heading and taking on board they had to offer. The gurus were Richard Banks and Tim Reegan, who both work with Microsoft Research in Cambridge, as well as Martin Bontoft and Paul Greenhalgh who both work at Team Consulting. Below is my set up for my desk and what I showed the gurus.

All the gurus were extremely helpful and showed great interest in what I had to say about my project and it was very reassuring that people thought the outcome would be exciting. As well as speaking to the gurus individually there was also a panel section in which questions like what are your pet hates? and what skills do you need to be a good designer? Other questions included what do you look for when you are recruiting? and who are are your personal design heroes/heroines?

This brought to light a hero for one of the gurus who I have always been in awe and inspiration of and even though I knew of his inventions never thought of him as a design hero and I am not sure why. I am speaking about Leonardo da Vinci. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and a writer. His inventions were mind blowing, especially for his time below is one the I particularly like, the ornihopter; designed in 1493, it is explorative rather than working and this appeals to my own design values:  

Who are your design heroes and why? Who inspires you and gets you motivated?

Going More In Depth

After delving into the materials that are wasted on building sites and derelict sites and then narrowing it down into materials that are more likely to have been left, I have decided to focus my current research on concrete. I am going to look at the different materials that can be used in making concrete and the different finishes that result of these, how I can change the finish by trying different materials and how I can replace the materials to make concrete a more eco-friendly material.

I am also going to look into materials that can bond concrete that have an extremely low environmental impact or none at all what so ever. For a cultural probe I am going to look into making a series of objects out of concrete and see how people react to these items.

In the meantime here are some great items that have been made out of concrete.

Where am I?

So getting into discovering where I want to go as a designer and how to show this through my honours project is a lot more challenging than I originally thought but here is where I am at the moment.

After an inspiring talk last week by Colin Burns, who showed us how to find out where we are in our project and ways to figure out where we want to me using a process by Eddie Obeng "Walking in the Fog". It showed us different areas that we could be with our project and finding out which one would help us realise what we need to achieve and how.

Using this process I realised that I was a "movie." I know what materials I want to use and have ideas for what I want to create but I am not sure how to use the materials in an effective way. Back to the research for the time being. I have also decided that I can get valuable information from cultural probes and have some crafty ideas, so will keep you posted on that!

Here is another incredible bit of recycling design to keep you all going. It is a Buddhist temple in Thailand made out of recycled beer bottles and it has a very spiritual  feeling about it in my opinion, what do you think?

Research

So, not much to report at the moment just constant research. Getting in survey responses for my business project which is great, be able to get in touch with some other groups of expats and see what everyone thinks and how I can tweak my idea. Big question at the moment is do I test the feasibility of the idea or do I see how it would work assuming it would work.

The other sidea of things is the honours project. Researching into reclaimed building materials is a lot trickier than I first anticipated so if anyone has seen or heard of anything then let me know!!! In the meantime here is some upcycling which has made an impression on me.

Designer Inghua Ting has made luxury leather floor tiles out of old leather belts. These are really cool and if I had a nice house or office I would definitely consider these. Let me know what you think. 

Life in the Deep End!

So, here I am 2 weeks into my final year of my university career and I can safely say I am bricking it! It's very exciting but shit scary at the same time, 8 months from now and I will be hopefully graduating with a brilliant honours in product design. So, lets look a the two projects that are going to help me there.

First, we have the Business Plan from the design and the market module. This, if anyone does remember, is my proposed business plan to create an social networking site aimed at expats along with an online general store to help people living abroad get a taste from home in their second home. Well this has been changed a bit and I am now looking at an expat site that gives people everyday tips and advice about life and things to do in places where it is difficult to live for an expat. For example, places where very little English is spoken or there is quite a small expat community. The online store, for feasibility reasons, looks like it may also take place as a directory of different websites that would be able to help get the food that people want to them and a percentage would be taken. 

Secondly, I have my final Honours Project. This has been explored through various mapping techniques and I want to focus on upcycling waste materials from derelict building sites. The fork in the road that I have reached at the moment is whether I focus on industrial materials or whether I go with my other idea which is a recyclinig service that offers people a reward system for how much they recycle. This could be implemented in schools and businesses as well as for home users. Got some more mapping to do!!!

Will keep eveyone posted about both projects.

Social Digital Banquet

This is the title of a week long pressure we have been given to bring us back together for fourth (and final) year of Uni. It is looking at whether you can take a more designerly view to a banquet and whether it is an experience that can be designed. Taking inspiration from Heston Blumenthal and the incredible things he can do to food and the experience he creates for people. We have gone with a back to nature theme, creating ways to present food and drink in a more natural state. Will keep everyone posted with pictures soon!