Morphogenetic Bus shelter

Below are images of the morphogenetic bus shelter, a few of them are the the images, which for some reason or other, were not visible in my previous blog. Towards the end are the latest designs.

Unit 17

Assignment Title: Morphogenetic shelter structure for the Valletta Bus Terminus.

 

 Brief Restrictions:

• The structure has to be based on a modular design pattern.
• The shelter has to follow the morphogenesis process.
• The main material to be used is moulded wood.

Study of Valletta Bus Terminus

My first steps towards starting work on the bus shelter was to surveyed the area of the Bus terminus. To do this I went on site and observed and photographed the people at the terminus waiting at the bus stops. Whilst observing the area I noticed certain things which should be changed or improved up on.

Through my study of the Valletta bus Terminus, I have noted a number of aspects, which should be worked on. The first and most important factor is that there is no actual shelter at the bus terminus; expect for a few canopies and protruding roofs from the surrounding stands, there is absolutely no shelter. The people are exposed to all types of weather. The bus stops also have no seating area, this is something I feel should definitely be resolved. All flooring in the terminus is in some desperate need of renovation. In my opinion, the stands around the bus terminus are an eyesore and should be terminated. As for information on bus routes and schedules, there is none. To indicate where to wait for your transport there is simply a number on a sign at the top of a pole, and these seem to be nearly randomly scattered everywhere.

 On the whole there is not much to the area apart from a few chewed up pavements. The place also feels quite chaotic, with no sense of order as to how the bus system works.

Morphogenetic Design:

The Bus shelter I will design must be inspired by morphogenetic design as clearly stated in the briefs restrictions, therefore my second step was to research what exactly morphogenetic design entails, and how I may be inspired be this process. A brief description of morphogenetic design:

Formation of the structure of an organism or part involving differentiation and growth of tissues and organs during development. 

The structure of morphogenetic design from what I understood, is formed in a repeated pattern which is constantly evolving. This evolution takes place at a slow and steady pace. Once I grasped the understanding of morphogenetic design I searched for organisms, which mimicked this structure and upon my research I stumbled across something which grabbed my attention, this was water waves. 

 

Inspirational Source:

The Structure of Waves 

I chose the structure of a wave to be my inspirational source as I believe that the forms created from waves, displays the morphogenetic structure. Waves are not a living organism however the way they form, displays a repeat pattern, which is constantly being evolved, broken down or rebuild.

I intend to stylise the waves bringing out the forms I feel will best attribute to my design. I also intend to keep the cylindrical form the wave creates as it ripples over. This form will be the foundation to construct the bus shelter. I will then morph and manipulate this form to create a more aesthetic interesting look.

The flowing curves, which I will use to create my design could be easily mimicked using moulded wood. I am considering using interlocking methods to fix the joints of my structure. Mechanical fits may also be an option to the construction of this shelter, as I am using the material moulded wood. I may use a second material in my design to enhance aesthetic quality. At the moment I am thinking about using transparent Acrylic or glass. 

The piece will be modular as it may grow as large, or be reduced to the required areas needs. This may be done by adding or reducing certain components. The modular function will be further explained throughout the sketches.

To sum everything up through my inspirational source my wave will ultimately become the bus shelter.

Some initial Sketches

First Sketch

For my first sketch I basically simplified the wave down to just a few ripples. I took the ripple form and repeated it a few times to create the form of the shelter. I placed two people to get an idea of proportion. The curves will be placed on different planes to get the aesthetic effect I am going for. Only the largest curve will provide the actual shelter. The other curves will be there for aesthetic purpose and I was also thinking they may be used as a area to place information on bus schedules. The smallest curve will be used as a seating area. When asking a lecturers advice on this design, it was suggested that I further develop the inner curves of the bus shelter either through an aesthetic point of view or a functional one. I have given this some thought and so far, have come up with maybe using different materials for some of the inner curves to hence aesthetic quality but I still feel that I can obvious take it further being my first sketch.

Second Sketch 

For my second sketch I kept the curved forms but have change the smooth surface into a wavy textured effect. I decided to add the texture to the surface of the waves, to add an interesting quality to the aesthetics of the design, however I feel I have instead gone backwards rather then forward in my progression towards my final design; as I am not fond of the surface texture with the over all form being put together. The smooth surface with the wave form I found was more appealing.

Fifth Sketch 

For this sketch I was merely trying to display a concept. I have placed the waves further apart so that the people may walk in-between the waves. This concept will make the terminus interactive; this is an added feature to the design, which appeals to me. If I intend to keep this concept I shall place a number of waves around the bus terminus area to create an over all design using the waves. The waves which people will waiting behind (while waiting for a bus) will be smaller so that the people may see over them or may be made out of a transparent material. The wave being spread out over the terminus will add extra shelter as the people will be shielded from the front and back protecting them from the ongoing traffic and weather. Some of the waves will be used as information boards and some as seating. When asking a lecturers advice on this design I was told that the concept was very appealing therefore I will probably keep it for my final.

Test Pieces done on 3D Studio Max

Sixth Sketch

Seventh Sketch

For these two sketch I moved completely in a new direction from what I was working on before. These designs were inspired from larger rippling waves. The form of these bus shelters is more dome like, completely curving over to the floor from one end. To let the people be aware of what is happening (if waiting in the enclosed part) there is a transparent wave flowing all round the structure. This design probably gives the most form of shelter so far. Seating will be adding into the structure. Comparing my sketches so far I first designs of the open bus shelters appeal to me more, as I feel they will be more adequate for the Valletta bus terminus.

Eighth Sketch 

For this sketch I was just experimenting on altering the over all aesthetics of the design. I added more waves then to the previous sketch and experimented with altering the depth of the waves to create different shapes. I do feel I prefer the simpler version of this design with less waves and curves. I started to also think about finish if I would leave the raw wood showing or If I would cover it with a colour or texture. I do not think I will take this design any further as it did not appeal to me as much as my initial work.

Ninth Sketch 

Tenth Sketch

Front View 

This design was inspired by the above photograph. It is quite different from the other designs. It is a very open structure and may be expanded or decrease according to the required area. A low wave will be place as to create seating. The first or last curve will provide an information board. Aesthetically the design is the one I find most appealing. The arches will be made from moulded wood and for the ceiling, I am leaning toward making it transparent to let light pass through or covering it with solar panels. Cover the roof in solar panels is something I stumbled upon in my research, it is being implemented into new bus shelters so that information on bus routes may be dispatched electronically using the solar panels as an electrical supply.  

Pecha Kucha Presentations

Veronique - I enjoyed her presentation. A feature of her style which i felt appealed to me was; how she manage to create 3D structures with such an elegant feel to them, mainly brought about in the forms of her final pieces. Her rough sketches i felt were simple but yet very effective. I thought that her work was very neat and well presented. I was also really impressed by her work done during her studies in architecture.

Gabriel - I thought that he explained his work quite well and I really enjoyed the fact that he was critical of he's own work, I felt this really made the presentation interesting. I agreed with he's analyses on he's work and I do prefer he's simpler designs as opposed to the more intricate and complicated pieces. I feel he had some really innovative ideas when it came to product design and he's drawing skills are very strong.

Sirach - What I remember the most about his presentation are his stone and ceramic sculptures; I felt he had a very wide rage of interesting textures and forms incorporated into he's designs, but what i personally thought was really appealing, is the way he placed them together to create he's composition. The structures looked like there was a lot going on but at the same time still felt balanced. I thought he's style was quite creative and original.

Richard - Richard's work i felt was very technical at most times, paying great attention to detail. I think he's very well knowledge in a few software programs and this really makes he's work look professional and accurate. He seem's to work towards having a very minimalist approach when it came to design, which makes he's work appeal to me, as its a style i like. I find he's work very clean, neat and simple, and feel that it would appeal to many people.

Sara-jane - I felt her work displayed a strong knowledge in the use of wood for her designs. I distinctly remember her structure which was inspired by both the female and male forms; i found this work really stood out as it had an avant-garde look about it. Her style i felt reflected minimalism however had a striking element to it. She also had some fine art drawing which i really liked.  

Cocker - I found he's presentation quite interesting as he has a unique style. I again thought he had a very good grasp over the material of he's workshop (being wood), this shows in his work, as he has an extensive collection of test pieces showing different techniques. I feel that he is very enthusiastic about his work, especially since he takes up other projects besides Mcast assignments.

Tamara - Her presentation I felt was very insightful on how younger designers, like ourselves, look at the world of fashion. She seems to feel very passionate about it, which i feel comes out in her work. I thought she had some very original ideas in her designs which appealed to me. I especially liked the "Tea Bag", as i thought it was again a very original idea and came out looking really good in the advertisement she put it in.

Nicole - An other person i felt takes a great interest in fashion design. She explained her work quite well, clearly illustrating her inspirations and influences, from the modeling world. I felt her style really developed and evolved with time. In my opinion her style reflected her femininity, at most times the designs portrayed were ornate and with elegant forms.

Vanessa - I felt the presentation explained her style, which I felt was fixed to an interesting concept; organic, flowing, forms against rigid, angular, geometric, shapes. This concept is incorporated in most of her assignments to create appealing contrast in her final pieces. I feel she is continuously trying to tackle and portray the concept in new ways, for example by using different materials.

Elisa - I thought her presentation really showed her extensive knowledge in the textiles department. Her work came across as though she has quite a lot of experience and therefore is quite confident with her chosen workshop. Some of her garments looked really complicated to create but i thought that when it came to materialising them in 3D, they were executed in a profession looking manner. Her style seems to be quite diverse as the dresses i saw were all completely different and unique.

Christina - I felt she explained her presentation well. Her work appeal to me as i found it very deep and expressive on a psychological level, for example when it came to creating the structure portraying contrasts, i believe she was the only one who expressed the contrast in an artist concept rather then portraying it in the aesthetics of the design; by creating a heart of stone. She also had some interesting pieces in her fine art work.

Christine - Christine showed some interesting ceramic pieces in her presentation. I felt her deigns really reflect her bold personality. I found her slides on her make-up art interesting as it is something quit new to me. The work she did on the models i felt was quite original, i think it would have been interesting to see her sources of inspiration.

Lorraine - What  i remember mostly about her work, was that i felt at most times it portrayed a very fun and playful feel, especially in the way she uses bright colours and geometric forms. I remember 2 pieces which really grabbed my attention; the boxing kangaroo and the hat designed as part of a child's costume. These designs caught my attention as i felt  they brought something different and i also felt they were good design, as i could easily see a child being attracted to her pieces. I also found her typography poster really attractive.

Christian - Christian's presentation i felt really portrayed the fact that he is a very hard worker and has experimented in several kinds of techniques. He's style i felt changed according to the demand of the brief. Through he's designs i got the feeling that he is good at tackling challenges and finding suitable solutions. One could also see how he feels very passionate in his work and takes pride in what he does.

Stephanie - I found her presentation was illustrated and presented very well. I am very familiar with her work as are from the same workshop and i find the way that she approaches her deigns to be insightful, as she usually comes up with quite innovative ideas. The style of her work i felt leaned towards the contemporary but with a little something extra to it. It was also interesting to see her work which came from outside of the Mcast course, i enjoyed seeing the costumes which see designed.

Mark - He's presentation i felt reflected he's unique style. I remember thinking it had masculine feel about it, as he used jagged, angular, forms quite often. He's soap stand i felt was designed in a very effective and functional manner. The presentation reflected he's minimalistic style, and i felt that he enjoys to tackle the functional aspect of product design.

Cassandra - Through Cassandra's presentation i thought one could clearly see the evolution in her work. I especially liked her FMP piece; the forms she created to design her contemporary "vases" i felt were really attractive and unique looking. I also thought she explained herself quite clearly.

Well thats everyone i think, really hope i did not leave anyone out, i hope u enjoy the critiques! :)