Fashion Design-A measure of a man

A solution to a practical problem. While needing to use the engineers rule on many occasions, the problem arose that it is not convenient to transport it in ones pocket or carry a bag solely for the use of the ruler.

So I designed and made a fitted, belt mounted pouch for the ruler, with a snap closure to keep the ruler secure and made in safety orange for the job site, the pouch has proven very useful it keeping the ruler both safe and easily accessible.

Fashion Design-Jack of all trades

After some requests, I have been playing with some design ideas for leather keyrings. The common request has been for a Union Jack based design, so with that base I have started to create several different Union Jack based keyrings, these are the first of those designs.

Fashion Design-Undercover Umbrella

An undercover umbrella!? The umbrella is not my design, that part I bought. But the original case that came with the umbrella was not very well constructed, so after it fell apart I decided to make a sturdier case using leather.

The leather case is quite simple, a leather tube tapered at one end with a drainage hole at the end. An attached shoulder strap so that the umbrella can be easily carried when not in use and the case can be kept over a shoulder when the umbrella is needed. The leather is treated, and natural wear has brought out the natural brown of the material.

Plus, it’s great fun to walk down the street with everyone thinking you have a katana (samurai sword) slung over your shoulder.

Architecture-Twist and Shout

Using the shipping container modules that I designed for use in the building of a student dormitory in the south of Taiwan, I used the simple stacking of the modules to create a design proposal.

The design is very simple, it uses a long spiral ramp as the main walkway to access every dorm room, with stair and elevator cores at diagonal opposite ends of the building, creating open landing areas for circulation and domestic activities. The slant of the ramp creates a unique triangular entrance way into the central courtyard of the building, which has been made as large as possible to allow for the maximum use of the space along with the a high degree of shading from the building itself as the south of Taiwan can get very hot during the summer months. From the exterior the building is quite modest and understated per the requirements of the university, but from inside the spiral nature of the building creates a slightly surreal sensation of the building almost floating above the ground. A sensation that mimics the buildings environmental footprint.

A modest elevation

Large internal courtyard

Triangular entrance and slight floating sensation

Architecture-I'll take mine to go...

I’ve always been interested in pre-fabrication and mass production when it comes to buildings. And over the years there have been many different ways of applying these ideas to the buildings around us.

I also have an interest in using materials at hand, not to recycle them, but use them in their original forms. The idea of doing this interests me and with the forms created from such structures, I would hope, inspires other people to see more than just the face value of an object.

Now we’ve all seen shipping containers, those oversized Lego blocks floating around the world on ships, and it’s not a new idea to use them as a building.

But more recently people have started to look at these items more seriously as building components, I like this idea and think it’s a great one! I remember first playing with the idea back in 2001, and since then, many good examples of this architecture have been proposed and some even built.

One of the concepts I have played with is a modular design that can be literally stacked into a building like Lego blocks. Providing a few different pre-fabricated blocks, gives great flexibility to any designer. That coupled with the shipping containers inherent structural strength and stackable nature, means that building with these steel boxes is incredibly easy.

Here I have included the box modules that I designed for a university dormitory project in the south of Taiwan.

The basic box

A 2x box configuration for a 4x person dorm room

A 1x box single occupancy dorm room

One box of a 3x box configuration for a 4x person dorm room-Living

One box of a 3x box configuration for a 4x person dorm room-Bathroom

1of3 possible configurations for the 3x box 4x person dorm room

A 2x box elevator unit, that can be stacked to create the elevator shaft and landing on each floor of the building

A 1x box staircase unit

All of these components can be carried to the desired building site on a standard container truck, be hoisted into position and then secured in place. Low rise buildings are simple and quick to install on site, and with each unit being pre-fabricated off site, only utility connection have to be made to have the building operational and ready for use. A simple building using a system like this could conceivably be installed on site in a couple of days, drastically reducing the costs to the building contractor and land owner, as well as scoring some decent points from a sustainability standpoint.

Architecture-Rolling Hills

I don’t see myself as an environmental designer, I don’t try to actively make my designs ‘green’. What I try to do is use proven, low technology where I can, and use as much re-used, not recycled, material as possible. There are various benefits to this, the proven low technology, means that it’s normally very easy to build with unskilled labour. The fact that it’s low technology means that it’s cheap, and it’s running costs are low. By re-using material, there’s no energy loss on recycling it and then using it, so that’s cheaper.

The by-product of this process is that the design is actually environmentally friendly. By being economical first, the design becomes environmental. A refreshing change from designs that try to be environmental first and become un-economical because of it.

The tyre-rammed earth wall is a simple design that creates a large thermal mass, with a stable base and can actually get stronger over time. The natural growth and plants that accumulate on the exterior of the wall over time actually help to hold the earth together with their root system rather that destroy the structure like they would with a concrete wall. The thickness of the wall keeps the interior temperature more stable, reducing the need for cooling or heating systems along with wide base and plant finish, the design also is resistant to earth movement and excessive water.

Architecture-Turning Japanese

An idea I had after staying at a hotel with Japanese style beds. While I like the look and design of Japanese beds, I find them uncomfortable to sleep in because they’re so hard. So, I had the idea of getting the Japanese look, but with the comfort of a regular mattress.

This enlarged bed that I came up with could either be considered a type of four-poster bed, or the design could be extended to fill a whole room, making it Interior design.

The mattress sits on a low frame on the floor, a platform is then raised to the same level as the top of the mattress and finished with tatami mats. This gives the look that the bed is a lot thinner than it really is. The tatami mat platform can have hinged doors built into it, giving a large amount of storage underneath the raised platform.

The sides of the platform are finished with Japanese style wood and paper screens, that can be used either as a simple wall covering or doorway into the bed space, or can be utilised to keep furnishings hidden from view when not in use, a wall mounted television for example, or a built in closet. The screens can also be used in place of curtains or blinds in front of a window or balcony door. The elements of the bed design can be used to fit the space, regardless of its shape or size, making it a cheap and versatile interior system.