VIDEO REFLECTION -

GREENFLY: DESIGN GREENER PRODUCTS

transport and distribution will demand high usage of energy if there is long distance of travel, therefore is a large negative impact. water usage in production is high compared to transport and the use of the product. how long a product can last during and without usage is determined by its end of life destination and lifespan of it different components. the sustainability is also determined by its components.
the different stages of a products lifecycle contribute towards the environment, wastage and energy. each component will have to be rigorously examined for its sustanability in order to have less of an impact.

AUTODESK : WHOLE SYSTEM AND LIFE CYCLE THINKING

the design process is the most important stage when determining a products life cycle. from the design process the life cycle can be determined from what goes into the design, such as what material can be used, what processes are used and how its going to be transported etc. by watching this video i feel that i now fully understand what is needed for a sustainable design and that as designers, we should focus more on the life cycle rather than the product itself.

AUTODESK: IMPROVING PRODUCT LIFETIME

this video showed me that a better design should incorporate things such as, recyclable materials, be easy to disessemble and be durable. these features prove that a design will have a longer lifespan. this video reminds us about the value of our earth and show what type of considerations we need to put into our designs.

AUTODESK: LIGHTWEIGHTING

lightweighting can be great in our designs due to the fact that less materials will be used, which will be good for sustaining resources and saving on costs. a big complaint with lightweighting could be product strength. however this can be solved with design features such as ribs and trusses. lightweighting is a great way for designers to not only save on costs but to also consider the environmental impacts our designs will have.

AUTODESK: GREEN MATERIALS SELECTION

as designers the choice of materials we use will determine the sustainability of our design. we need to consider and select the most greener solution that can be incorporated in our designs. we also need to understand the origins of the material. having an understanding of origin can give us an understanding of the energy that is used to produce that certain material.

AUTODESK: ENERGY EFFICIENT DESIGN

this video outlines that we should really take into consideration what materials we use in our designs. we need to understand the energy used for certain materials and the origin of the material. we need to undestand our materials because from understanding them we will have a better knowledge on what impact it has on the environment. a lot of energy is consumed to produce many materials that are in our products, so as designers we have the chance to incorporate sustainable alternatives.

week 2 reflection - 

This concept is a redesign of a 3L juice bottle. From the research I have undertaken on arthritis, i have found that people that suffer from arthritis have troubles opening lids. The current 3L juice bottle has a difficult to open cap. The bottle is also very large and can make very awkward to use. I have tried to address these problems in my concept by featuring a larger cap and a handle. The larger cap for easy opening and the handle to make it easy for pouring.

feedback -
Scott - the design addresses the problem, however it seems to be to simple. suggested to add a bit more innovation to it .

matthew - you can make it easier for the user by adding a flip top

jan - try and figure out a way to help the user peel the seal.

A Sense of Place

The project brief challenges us to create an innovative public furniture element that helps gives the public space a “sense of place” and encourages the community to proudly use the area with the fellow neighbours. The way I tried to encourage the community to use the space was through the use of music, which I have incorporated in my furniture design in the form of simple musical instruments. Music has the ability to bring people together no matter what language they speak, which is why my design concept will encourage the public to proudly use the space with their neighbours, even if they are strangers. In the suburb the site is located in (Lakemba) there are a lot of different people from different backgrounds and from these cultural backgrounds all have music embedded in the culture.

My design features two very simple musical instruments, which are the tubulum (pvc pipe instrument made famous by the Blue Man Group) and congas (a percussive instrument). These two instruments a very easy to play which is perfect for public use because not everyone is a musician. The main way I intend my design to be used is that the public could use my bench design to socialise and have a bit of a jam session with others in the community. The design of the bench itself will suit all types of people and will be very comfortable to sit on due to the height of the bench. The bench is also going to be hollow. This is so that the built in musical instruments can be amplified for a louder and clearer noise.

The bench itself is going to be made from polypropylene, which is suitable because it is impact and wear resistant and also ultraviolet resistant which means it will withstand the outdoor conditions. The way the bench is manufactured is by rotational moulding. Rotational moulding is perfect for the bench because it is completely hollow and the bench could be moulded in a single piece. But there will also be some other manufacturing processes, such as trimming of excess plastic and fitting the pipes for the tubulum.

PEER COMMENTS

Jan Gerardino - http://janraymondgerardino.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/accessible-packaging.html?showComment=1336996280902#c7909054113316553214

Matt Caraig - http://mfredrick.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/accessible-packaging-sandwich-packaging.html?showComment=1336995242194#c8976701204320906275

Dongwook Kim - http://dongkim926.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/pacakging-child-resistant-cap.html?showComment=1337067674591#c783807372402387938

Daming Chen - http://daming-ides1031.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/project-2-packaging-design-to-address.html?showComment=1337066694400#c6701282556756933583

Vivian Ngo - http://vindustriald.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/blog-post.html?showComment=1337068033234#c1657610931889869336

PROJECT 2

Who Killed the Electric Car

'Who Killed the Electric Car' is a documentary which unfolds a complex set of events around the development and demise of the modern electric car. The story stems from California from the early 1990s to 2006.

The narrative begins to unfold with a brief history of the first electric cars created in the early twentieth century. These electric vehicles were killed off nearly 100 years ago as gas/petroleum powered internal combustion engine (ICE) cars became cheaper. The worsening problems of gas/petrol cars are illustrated: smog, high child asthma rates, CO2 emissions and global warming.
The film then commences the story of the modern EV in 1987 when General Motors and the 'SunRaycer', won the World Solar Challenge, a solar electric car race in Australia. General Motor's CEO, Roger Smith challenged the same design team to build a prototype practical electric car which became known as the 'Impact' when announced in 1990. The project expanded to small scale production vehicles with the aim that it would give GM several years lead over any competitor car companies. The movie continues to reveal what the various suspects did to kill the reality of the electric car, and the efforts of EV supporters to save them. Oil companies stood to lose enormous profits if EV sales took off and they colluded with others to kill the electric car.

The film then shows how the Federal Government and oil companies put forward hydrogen fuel cells as a better alternative to gas and battery electric cars. In contrast, interviews with two hydrogen experts gave details why fuel cell vehicles are not likely to be available for another 15-20 years if ever, whereas battery electric technology is available now, has been rapidly improving since the mid 1990s and is cost effective.

Although the EVs of the 1990s were killed off, the film ends by informing the modern environment where the future is being reshaped by the production of new electric and hybrid cars due to gaining an increase in popularity.