Rationale
The Wilson is a modular bench that interacts with the user on
a personal scale. The bench consists of 5 individual seats that can be
integrated to create larger seating arrangements by simply sliding the chair.
This concept is user driven and begs for physical interaction, creating a
connection with the individual as they have formed their own seat through the
act of sliding chairs to fit like a puzzle.
An in depth research of Bright Le Sands Beach was conducted,
and thus this product concentrates on promoting a strong sense of place and
community by unifying the overall aesthetics of the beach. The wooden panels of
the chair mimics the aesthetics of the newly renovated facilities located along
the beach, reiterating this environmental and simplistic image.
Though this design focuses on this particular community, it
can also be applied to a number of other beach environments, such as Bondi and
Maroubra Beach. This product can assimilate into these two environments by
painting product to the desired finish. Furthermore, the design is simplistic
and showcases the use of wood; with Bondi and Maroubra, both have parks
neighbouring or within their beach, thus tying in with this environmental
image.
The natural and friendly undertones derived from the use of
wood invites the user to participate. It further promotes environmental
awareness by using fewer materials, as opposed to creating completely solid chairs.
Marine Plywood is utilised as it contains properties that allow durability and maintenance
of structure within salty and moist environments. This material is manufactured
from durable face and core veneers with minimal defects and core gaps, thus
lending its ability to maintain a durable structure in humid, cold and wet
conditions as well as being resistant to delamination and fungal threats.
The skeleton of each individual seat and mounting components
utilise stainless steel, highly versatile and durable steel allow that is resistant
to rust, corrosion and stains. Stainless steel has the ability to retain
strength in various environments and does not get oxidized easily. This
material can withstand constant exposure to moisture and saline environments.
Furthermore during the production process, this material can
be easily machined, wielded, formed and fabricated to the desired design. It is
also impact resistant and yields durable long-life products.
The gaps between each panel on the seat comply with the
standard, by allowing for space so that rubbish, sand and other miscellaneous objects
will not get stuck.
I've got to say this was definitely your the best of your projects this semester, you should be really proud. I'm glad the model came out so well, great to see it actually moving. I am also rather impressed with the renders and posters that you came up with. They are nicely laid out and are able to communicate your design well. The only negative thing I would have to say, and I'm sorry to bring it up again, is the issue of getting your limbs caught between the seats. It's definitely an issue that needs to be addressed. Otherwise, it was a simple and elegant design, congratulations.
ReplyDeleteI love this design. It's fun, modular and stylish. I love that the model works so well, I spent a good 10 minutes just reconfiguring it. While some people are worried about fingers and limbs being caught in between chairs I don't really think it's a huge issue. Assuming the chairs are rather heavy and the sliding mechanism has a slight amount of friction, it seems you'd have to be trying to jam something in there for it to happen. Of course, accidents happen and the product would need to be tested before introduced to the market, but those are my 2 cents. One slight niggle I could imagine would be if trash got caught in the gaps in the seats. I know of public seating where McDonald's cups and McSpicy boxes have been shoved into crevices just to avoid going to the bin but, depending on location, that's manageable. Overall, I think it is a beautiful and well-thought out solution for modular outdoor seating.
ReplyDeleteVivian, your work was brilliant for this project. The modularity and ability to adapt the design was very functional, something that a lot of other people didn't consider. The fact that your model actually showed these moving components in action was brilliant and deserved a lot more credit than it got from the feedback. I don't believe that the issue of limbs getting caught in would be an issue if a fail safe device was installed with perhaps a minimum gap or even a lock off system so that when it senses a blockage it automatically locks at that position. Just some thoughts, but congratulations on a great modular piece of outdoor furniture.
ReplyDeleteThis project has been well thought out and presented. The use of sliding chairs will encourage people to have fun in this space and in turn encourage them to come more often. The design of the chairs looks great while still fitting into the environment they are put in.
ReplyDeleteI really like the concept you had I think the finished model looks amazing. I'd suggest considering making a back seating of your own as the stones might be uncomfortable to lean on other than that great rationale great model and the finished renderings look great!
ReplyDelete