Hi, I am Yeo Shi Jie, 0330176.
The first projects calls for a concern to the surrounding environment. Human activities have committed a great number of deterioration to the environment and causing imbalance to ecosystem and earth. Therefore, this project intends to encourage us as architecture students to do our part by producing a creative product using recyclable materials that reflects these concerns and to part of the change for a better world with their creative thoughts.
Objectives:
- To increase awareness of current environmental issues locally and globally.
- To explore the local and global context of growth and therefore realizing the relationship between growth and its impact on the environment.
Tasks:
This is a group project of 6 members requiring us to come out with a creative product from recyclable materials with a size of not exceeding an A3. We also need to carried out research write up based on the environmental topic we have selected. It will based on our own interpretation of the environment topic. We will be exploring and writing on environmental issues relating it to the people and built environment.
Outcomes:
Progress stage:
We first have selected our environmental topic to study, that is Waste - Solid and Construction Waste and LCA. We then slowly narrowed down into Construction Waste, which we slowly discovered the Tarpaulin Canvas + Plywood + Timber as a common construction waste people usually ignore and throw them away after using them. We found that it is potential and usable to transform it into something useful yet beautiful product. Thus, we started developing our idea into sustainable clothing, raincoats and sustainable fashion industry. It incites our ideas to produce something related to that and therefore we started to map out our idea of manufacture them. We have tested them several times and see if it works or not but finally it works out perfectly. We worked together as a group and some of us doing the fabrics sewing stuff, some of us focusing on the research write up and assembling stage.
Final Outcomes:
Creative Products Design:
Tarpaulin Canvas Raincoat
Wooden Sandals with Tarpaulin Canvas
Tarpaulin Canvas Pant
A Mini Wooden Container by reusing leftover Plywood and Timber
Usability & Try out:
Research Write Up & Reflective Essay:
Reflections:
Throughout this project, I basically very satisfied as we have worked so hard and we finally achieved an A for this. It is happy and great to work with everyone as we come up with environmental idea, paired with creativity and aesthetic ideas to finish up this task. For me, I have truly learnt some values from it.
Firstly, being a future architect, it is not just about making design, but to understand the surrounding environment, giving concern to what is happening around is significant as to give me idea on how to be sustainability and creativity at the same time. I also learnt to be appreciate to the nature, as it grants us a big opportunity to a balanced ecosystem and living environment to live with.
Secondly, I also learnt about LCA, Life Cycle Assessment, in co-responding to the 3Rs purpose. I have understand that it is essential to learn to maximise the use of waste as I can transform any waste into useful and aesthetic product, just like giving them a "second life". For me, this is to reduce the amount of waste in the surrounding world so that we can have a healthy and clean environment to live with. This also helps to develop my own creativity and potential to execute a good design from an unwanted products.
Thirdly, I have learnt to be more aware to the surrounding, just like my title - Be A Wear ( Aware ), it helps to remind users to give concern to the surrounding while promoting environmental sustainability as well. I truly understand that striking a balance between built environment and nature is important so that we human can have a better lifestyle.
Taylor's Graduate Capabilities (TGCs):
For this project, I have greatly developed some of the TGCs, for example, Life-long learning skill, in which I can locate , extract, synthesize and utilise the information from my research and apply them in my project effectively. I also acquired good communication skill as I am able to interact, communicate and work with my teammates well to execute a good design and product. Lastly, I also able to be aware of and form opinions from diverse perspectives, as I am able to understand how important an useful and environmentally product is to the global community and how to promote the our product to the world and gain opinions from the others.