Design 21: Social Design Network

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For the final user testing, I would like to test out if the assembly instruction is clear for the user since my product is a flat pack furniture piece. I will test it with my target audient, middle class family who has children. This user testing will appear if I have to adjust my design or instruction to fulfill the understanding of the Product and instruction.

Built It Green! NYC Ellis ellis@bignyc.org

Program Director • Justin Green justin@bignyc.org

3-17 26th Ave. (at 4th Street) Astoria, Queens 11102 718-777-0132

March 9th 2009: It was a very helpful experience to receive feedback from people in different professions in terms of their perspectives and professional knowledge. I was interesting that I didn't receive a consistent comment form people, but various comments. In general people think I'm on something, but I need to keep going on the project. Some people are concerning if I can have consistent materials from manufacture waste stream. Some others want me to think about if my product can really be manufacture-able.

I feel I need to jump into the deep water and surprise myself with a wild and crazy idea for the project. I think I have been thinking the safe way to get out or end up this project. After all of the talking with people, I need to step back a little bit to think about the overall picture of my project again in order to narrow it down to the most meaningful result.

Mission of Oblivion: This project aims to eliminate wood from the manufacturing waste stream by creating a modular system that allows as much wood as possible to be repurposed as a new material for furniture, flooring or architectural products.

Presentation Board of Oblivion1

Presentation Board of Oblivion2

Mission of Oblivion: This project aims to eliminate wood from the manufacturing waste stream by creating a modular system that allows as much wood as possible to be repurposed as a new material for furniture, flooring or architectural products.

Presentation Board of Oblivion1

Presentation Board of Oblivion2

Build in Green, the picture on the left, is my new non-profit Organization.

Build It Green! NYC, is New York City's only non-profit retail outlet for salvaged and surplus building materials. Our warehouse has everything from panel doors to high end refrigerators and shutters to movie props. Our mission is to keep these materials out of the landfill, while offering deep discounts on their resale. We are sponsored by Community Environmental Center (CEC) www.cecenter.org. Founded in late 2004, our warehouse opened in February of 2005.

Presentation Board1 Presentation Board2

Jonathan Lock (Professional Carpenter)

It makes sense to use router. If you want to produce a mass number of those modular blocks, you should set up customized shaper which is good for heavy duty number of various woods. Woodworking Clamp is an industrial clamp which is very appropriate for the project you are working on if you are going to laminate your blocks together.

Joe Toledo is someone you can interview for your project.

Material Connexion Lauren Levinsohn (Material Connexion Archivist)

She feels my blocks look really nice in terms of the aesthetic when they are laminated together, but she questioned how am I going to propose this material like an individual piece or a sheet good? She told me their floor is made out of recycled shipping rakes, which is another opportunity for my project. She showed me some materials which are very helpful for my project. One is a non-toxic, non-volatile, strong wood adhesive which does not use any synthetic resins or solvents that may produce harmful gases or contaminate the soil. The material is called the natural glue which is good for wood flooring, laminating lumber, furniture and other wood-based products. Another material is called PolyWhey which is made from whey proteins, a waste by-product of cheese making. She also gave some information about wood flooring companies so that I can research on what process or machines they use for their production line methods.

Designer/Artist Doug Fitch

He thinks who is going to take t...

Making Process

Possibilities1

Possibilities2

Workstation Model

Pros:

• There is a joy in making your own products, I think that you realize this well. Keep in mind that there is a tendency that people will value and keep the things they make themselves longer thus making it more sustainable.
• Its a recreation with other people (making it with your dad or brother, etc). The furniture becomes a heirloom quality not only because of its design/quality, but the fact that it holds special memory (more appreciated)
• obviously, its an upcycled design that not only reduces waste but also prevents new materials being exploited for new products.

Concerns:

• The level of comfort
• Attachment of each pieces will not only be labor intensive, but also uses huge amount of adhesives and process (keep in mind, that you need to clamp glued pieces together and clean the excess)
• Complexity in making it. Can an unexperienced users create a functional, safe, and comfortable furniture.

Suggestions:

• I see that you already develop 3 basic shapes, however what are the reasons for these shapes? (are they generated because it offers the most efficient and structurally sound solution for a load bearing product such as furniture). Though you are inspired by lego, you dont have to be conformed with the typical uniformity of the pieces. I recently build a lego tecnic together with my brother and they contain quite distinctive shapes that allow more effective form (check online). They contain gears, cables, hinges, connector pieces, rotationg pieces, cap pieces, str...