Eco Project - Inflatable spaces

During my research into temporary interior spaces I came across a company called 'Inflate' who offers a range of lightweight and portable structures for interiors as well as exteriors.

 INFLATE 

The small office or meeting spaces that inflate have managed to create with there OIAB product (office in a bag) have inspired me to do something similar with my project. Here are some images of the OIAB.

Interior

Cluster of OIAB's

Not an OIAB, but similar idea.

Experimentation with Inflatables

 Early experimentation with inflatables
 

Using the Inflatables seems to be a good solution, for the office spaces I will be designing, but they will have to be woven in and around a much stronger temporary structure that will provide a second floor.


To create this 'skeleton' structure, I have been looking at some innovative Eco friendly materials.

Cardboard is one of them.

The strength in cardboard can be seen in this structure (image on left), its 100% re-cyleable and can be weather treated, making it a serious option for my design.
Im going to research further into its properties to see how it is manufactured and what shapes and forms it comes in.



















This reinforced cardboard could be used to create the struts in a geodesic dome, providing the framework for the temporary cladding, which could be similar to the products that Inflate has created (above).

I recently came across this site that explains how to create a simple geodesic dome using thin metal tubing. Im going to build one to get to grips with the structure.

Polysemy

Polysemy means to derive a meaning.When we look at an image the meaning  it has will be different for each of us, and what the image induces will be based on our previous life experiences. Once  we focus on one meaning, many more sub meanings follow, allowing for many different interpretations of the original image.
Once text is added to the image, it reduces the wide range of meanings that could have otherwise been drawn from the image. Forcing you to make a connection between the text and the image.

To test this out I created a series of random shapes with a marker pen and then showed them to some friends to see what they could relate the shapes too.

Here was the most successful scribbling.

4 out of the 7 friends I asked likened the shape to some sort of flying object, and 2 of those 4 said a helicopter.
In order for me too get a higher percentage of people seeing it as a helicopter I added some 'swoosh'
marks commonly used in cartoons to suggest rapid movement.

The thinner swoosh marks I added worked a little, and a few more people thought it was a helicopter
I then  added some text to help lock in the meaning of the scribble:

Eco Project - Transportable office space.

• BRIEF :  Design an innovative and dynamic urban hub for SEPA - Environmental protection agency.

• SITE :   We have been given the architectural shell of an existing warehouse in Dundee previously  used by DC painters and joiners.

We have been given a breakdown of what basic accommodation or zones we need to provide for our client, as well as  a general guide to the size of each zone, eg. Reception, offices, communal area. However how we decide to organize the interior space in relation to each person's space and zone requirements can be radically different from a conventional office.

I have decided to work with a partner for this project as we both share a similar vision of what we want to do, which is:

Create a transportable adaptable office and learning  space that can exist indoors or outdoors, and can accommodate a variety of events, number of people and objects. 

Initial research begins..

Buckminster Fuller

Snoop.

For this assignment we have been asked to try out 'snooping' with the possibility to become a 'super snooper' by examining another persons personal space and belongings to collect information that will help us determine certain aspects of there personality, this will then help us to look at ourselfs and identify what makes up our own personal style.

Carrying out this assignment required us to swap photos of our childhood with another student from a different disapline.

These photos had to be relaxed and show ourselfs amoungst our personal belongings, or spaces we use on a daily basis, not really thinking too much about how we organise them.

Here are the images that I received.

 View of shelf,  close up of shelf.

Looking at these images I can start to anaylise the items and there placement in the room. The room definately looks like it is part of a student flat, with minimal permanent decorations, or too many objects from the students past, suggesting that he is quite independant.

There is a large number of graphic design books on a temporary shelf which indicates that the student may be quite established in the course already.

 Close up of Cuboard and bed.

The clothes are fairly organized, suggesting that appearance is of reasonable importance.
Sleeping bag on bed  suggesting that comfort may not be of great importance.

After meeting up with sean to have a chat and discuss  our reactions to the images we sent each other, we both found out that our descriptions were fairly accurate.

So snooping works if you want to do it.

Sand Dune Architecture

Swedish architect Magnus Larsson, and been working on and developing a simple idea that could prevent desertification, and improve the quality of life for those living in dry areas.
He has chose to focus on an area in Africa named the 'Sahel' currently dealing with the problem of desertification.


The Sahel is a strip of land that lies on the edge of the Sahara desert, stretching across the entire continent.
Larsson proposes to create a vast sandstone 'habitiable wall' spanning the entire width of the Sahel.
He wants to do this by using a type of natural bacteria found in marches and wetlands, which when added to sand will bind it together forming sandstone.
This bacteria can then be injected into the sand dunes, and left for 24 hours to harden. The spaces created by the bacteria can then be excavated by natural forces such as the wind blowing onto the site and carrying the loose sand away with it.
The image below shows how Larsson Proposes to inject the bacteria into the dune.

These structures will create habitable spaces that can support the growth of trees, allow for condensation to be harvested and for desert community's to thrive.
Below are some conceptual images of what these sandstone structures may look like.