Landmark Project Report

L NDM

RK

PROJECT REPORT

BORI KOVACS ID 8

DANMARKS DESIGNSKOLE 31 MARCH, 2011

TEACHER: SØREN HOLST

COMPANY CONTACT: INVENTARRUM

L NDM RK

AN OUTDOOR BENCH FOR INVENTARRUM

CONTENT

INTRODUCTION - Inventarrum

DESIGN BRIEF - Problem Formulation

RESEARCH - Iconic Outdoor Furniture - PPS Placemaking - Public Life in Copenhagen - City Semiotics

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT - Initial Sketches - Sketch Model - Structural / Functional Considerations - Hierarchy of Preferences - Shape and Dimensions - Overview of Various Ecological Solutions - Materials Analisys

CONCEPT DETAILING - Material and Construction - Placement / Potential Sites

PRESENTATION - Use - Landmark - Technical Drawings

CONCLUSION

LIST OF SOURCES

INVENTARRUMThe project is about developing a new product / a new set of products that falls within the existing product range of the company called Inventarrum but at the same time signi�cantly increases their selection of products on the market. Having met a representative of Inventarrum, Klaus Tønder Jensen, we gained an insight into type of products they sell and into the methods they use while manufacturing their own products.

Inventarrum specializes in manufacturing and delivering outdoor furniture for public spaces. Its clients include municipalities, housing associations, DSB, engineers, landscape architects and architects, developers, contractors and nurserymen.

Inventarrum’s furniture are of high quality in a functional and aesthetic design. They have been on the market for 13 years – it is yet a small company that is ready for new adventures and for a new start. The company’s current products have been developed in collaboration with leading architects, landscape architects and designers. For Inventarrum aesthetic quality has proven to be an important factor in customers’ choice. The company’s design philosophy is that function, choice of material and workmanship in conjunction with an original design create the right product.

Ecological questions are addressed with care, as Inventarrum is a company certi�ed by the Forest Stewardship Council, their products also make use of recycled materials, moreover, they promote the use of bicycles in urban settings.

Inventarrum’s image, thus, can be captured by the keywords of FUNCTION, DESIGN, QUALITY, and ECOLOGY. Their products endorse an elegant and re�ne taste in line with Scandinavian design characteristics. Inventarrum’s aim according to Klaus Tønder Jensen is “to be more known in the market”, i.e. to gain a competitive advantage with unique products.

INTRODUCTION DESIGN BRIEF RESEARCH PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT DETAILING PRESENTATION

Problem Formulation

My aim with the project is to design an iconic or emblematic outdoor furniture for the city of Copenhagen which conveys the message of being ecologically sensitive. To design a furniture that can be readily identi�ed by locals and foreigners alike and be associated with ecological Copenhagen in particular.

The reasons why I chose that topic to focus on were the followings: An iconic piece that serves sort of as a landmark in the city has the tendency to stick in people’s mind, therefore, any interested person, actors on the market would get to know Inventarrum’s name if the product is successful. According to the Copenhagen X project (see: www.cphx.dk) the city has the aim of becoming the �rst Carbon Neutral City by 2025, and I think it would be worth having an image for this aim. A successful iconic street furniture that stands for this particular aim would serve as a reminder for people, and would perhaps encourage them to ful�ll that aim by promoting itself through an everyday object. Foreigners would also more easily remember this quality of the city after having seen one representative icon.Inventarrum’s clients are locally based, it is advisable to address their needs.

The message as well as the raison d’etre of the object is coherent and truthful only if environmentally friendly manufacturing procedures are met during its production. The life-cycle of the product and cradle-to-cradle considerations are therefore of much importance. These considerations include the choice of materials and technologies used, easy assembling and transportation, questions of maintenance and the product’s afterlife.


Examples for the currently used rather romantic old-style’Copenhagen Bench’

Iconic Outdoor Furniture


ENZO in Museumsquartier Wien New York’s Iconic bicycle stand

There are several examples for iconic street furniture around the world, I found two of them that were the most interesting from this current project’s point of view. ENZO, Museumsquartier’s iconic furniture in Vienna is a playful, coulrful modular object that has gained much popularity over the past few years. They are freely movable by the users, they can be used in a variety of ways such as a simple bench, a shelter, or a lounge, they also provide a playground for children. They encourage life and creativity on the sqaure merely by being huge colourful building blocks that everyone has an experience with from their childhood due to LEGO. They give an identity to the Museumsquartier, anyone who has been there remembers these inviting and outstanding objects scattered around. It is truely a landmark.

New York’s new bicycle stand does not only function as a bench as well as a bicycle stand but it can easily be used as a graphic icon due to its simple form which can be associated with an elongated heart.

P R O J E C T f o rPUBLIC SPACES

PPS

PlaceAccess& Linkages

Comfort& Image

Sociability Uses& Activities

continuity

proximity

connected

readable

walkable

convenient

accessible

safeclean

“green”

walkable

sittable

spiritual

charming

attractive

historic

fun

active

vital

special

real

useful

indigenous

celebratory

sustainable

diverse

stewardship

cooperative

neighborly

pride

friendly

interactive

welcoming

traffic data

mode splits

transit usage

pedestrian activity

parking usage patterns

crime statistics

sanitation rating

building conditions

environmental data

local business ownership

land-use patterns

property values

rent levels

retail sales

number of women, children & elderly

social networks

volunteerism

evening use

street life

What Makesa Great Place?

key attributes

intangibles

measurements

© 2003

PPS Placemaking


Project for Public Spaces (www.pps.org) is an excellent forum as well as an organization that focuses on the question: What makes a public space work? They provide a chart - see on the left - that summarizes their basic considerations about that question. From my point of view, it is interesting becuase a successful furniture should be able to facilitate and support all or some of the qualities listed. It should contribute to the life of its site in an organic way. It should be a coherent part of its environment and should be able to generate activities, social encounters and should also be able to provide comfort.

Public Life in Copenhagen


My personal experience in Copenhagen shows that people do use the city’s natural environments, and they use it freely for their own di�erent personal purposes. Apart from the widespread use of bicycles, people like to run, do di�erent sports in the parks, play on playgrounds, have picnics, walk their dogs, sunbathe on the harbour beach, or just sit an relax, chat with their friends or read. Everyone is keen on looking forward to the good weather, and when it arrives, people just swarm out onto the open air.They do not hasitate to sit on the grass, on the wooden beach, or on the sand, occasionally, some would feel comfortable in just lying down and reade on the bare concrete street. Not much is needed, it seems, for the people of Copenhagen to feel comfortable in the open air once a clean, friendly and open environment is available for their own free use.


City Semiotics


’a piece of the real world that stands for another piece of the real world’

Having the aim of making an object that would serve as a visual sign while being a bench at the same time, I observed the characteristics of way�nding signs and other information carriers around the city. I would like to highlight two spots that are most typical in my point of view. One of them is TIETGEN KOLLEGIET, the other is the Black Diamond.

Both buildings have been newly built, and both of them have very sophisticated signalling systems. Interestingly enough, although they are fully equipped with information carrying signs, the signs do not ’attack’ the visitor or the tenant. They do not ’shout’ at them. At neither of the two places does one feel as being overloaded by information. They are nicely, and discretely all around, and they integrate very well to their modestly elegant and re�ned environment. If one needs information, it’s there, but if one does not need any, he/she is not being disturbed by them.

As a contrast, functional objects - such as chairs, mailboxes, and washing machines - do stick out from their immediate environments. Merely by displaying bright colours, the potential user easily notices them, and is encouaged to use them. Colours also serve to unconciously play on our momentary mood, and they also help us remember where we sit, where we wash our clothes, and where to look for our mails.


Initial Sketches - Functional Direction


When I started to work on my project, initially I had three separate directions. A functional direction, and emotional direction, and a symbolic direction.

My functional approach focused on combining the bicycle stand with a bench and on arriving at an icon derived from a functional form. I noticed that poeple prefer to put their bicycles behind benches, therefore, I started to sketch simple shapes, which by way of a linear repetiton of one simple module - much like extrusion - the object could provide a seating surface on one side and a bicycle stand on the other side.

Initial Sketches - Emotional Direction


Being inspired by the sight of animals, especially by di�erent birds living in the city, I decided to focus on the �gurative side of the object and address children �rst of all with my product.My aim was to pick a characteristic �gure that would ful�ll the functions of being a bench and a bicycle stand in a fun way, and would also be able to stand as a �gurative graphic icon.

Soon, this direction proved to be too complex for my simple iconic purposes.

Initial Sketches - Symbolic Direction


Graphic Icon

Patterns

As a third direction, I decided to focus on simple iconic modular shapes �rst, which can be arranged in various layouts and which can also easily be turned into a 3 dimensional form. Having drawn several small pictogams, I have found a sort of ’V-shape’ which due to its central 60-degree angle becomes a closed ’triangle’ in 3 pieces. It also closely associates with the well-known recycle symbol, therefore, I decided to keep this direction, and chose to work on this piece further.

Sketch Model - The 3D Icon


The triangular form and its V-shape component parts have a very playful quality if the Vs’ ends make up an even sided square.

Structural / Functional Considerations


Merging of Functions Disassembling / Storage Using IINVENTARRUM’s Facilities:using FSC wood by

mounting it on a metal frame

I have considered a variety of di�erent structural approaches which all all have their di�erent advantages and disadvantages.

Hierarchy of Preferences


I want my object to be

1. A SIGN

2. ECOLOGICALLY SOUND

3. AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE

4. OF OPTIMAL WEIGHT

5 PLAYFUL IN USE

6. COLOURFUL

7. COMMUNICATIVE

8. DISASSEMBLABLE

Shape and Dimensions


I decided that the bench will have a tubular shape - open at all three ends, since for seating and support purposes only the top, bottom, left and right sides are neecessary. This way, the construction becomes lighter, easier to grab at if one wants to turn it around, and it could also provide further opportunities for children as well as for dogs to play.The seating surface is 46 cm above ground level, the longest side of the bench is 81 cm.

Overview of Various Ecological Solutions

Analysis of Materials

biodegradable

locally sourced

fairtrade

low energy

no toxins

recyclable

recycled

well managed resources

low waste


There are various aspects to ecological questions that one should simultaneously keep in mind. In Rebeca Proctor’s book called1000 New Eco Designs and Where to Find Them, I found a good summary of major factors. See on the left.

BAMBOO CORK CORIAN METAL PLATE HARD WOOD

+ hard, good for outdoors-- comes from far away, expensive, requires maintenance

+ light, no tree is cut down, good for outdoors-- fragile, requires surface treatment

+ produced within reach, strong and static, excellent for making organic shapes-- very expensive

+ good for outdoors, easy to manufacture,-- cold in the winter, hot on the sun

+ friendly, good for oytdoors, within close reach-- requires maintanence heavy

Material and Construction


The Swiss company, ETERNIT AG manufactures this material in an e�cient and ecologically sound way. They are able to produce Eternit in excellent quality and they also manufacture beautiful outdoor furniture out of it. Schwitzerland is within train reach to Copenhagen.

Eternit �ber cement is composed of: cement, limetstone powder, �bre, air, and water

(has been completely free of asbestos for about 30 years).

Plants like this material as it regulates humicity. There is no toxic o�-gasing.

The material is coloured all the way through - there is no danger of the colour chipping or marking o�.

Extremerly durable, eventually 100% recyclable.

42 x 32 cm 42 cm 8.0 kg

RAL Colour Coding


It has an optimal weight, my bench is about 3 timesthe size as this small stool, therefore, the weight of the object should be between 24 - 30 kg, which is suitable for an average person to turn around, push or pull. It’s not too light either, so the bench will not move too easily when people lean onto it.

Placement / Potential Sites


I imagine my bench to be placed in protected city parks, such as

Frederiksberg Have Kongens Have Fælledparken.

In protected parks the bench is least likely to be stolen, it is taken cared of by the organization responsible for the park, and it will not drop into the sea either.


Use


L NDM RK


I apply colour on the benches because I want them to be inviting. At the same time, while it is placed in nature, I also want it to harmonise with the environment, therefore, I would apply only a bit of paint, and leave the majority of the Eternit raw.

The colours applied on one leg of the V-shape also echo the dinamic motion represented by the original recycle image.

Technical Drawings


CONCLUSION

LIST OF SOURCESMcDonough, William and Michael Braungarth. Cradle-to-Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. New York: North Point Press, 2002.

Proctor, Rebecca. 1000 New Eco Designs and Where to Find Them. London, UK: Laurence King Publishing, 2009.

Internet

www.cphx.dkwww.eternit.ch www.pps.org

I consider my project successful in that it manages to represent its own message, i.e. being ecologically sound. It is able to attract attention and provide a playful, colourful and inviting seating place, where one is encouraged to socialize, enjoy nature and to relax. It is able to provide fun for the children as well as for animals - they can enjoy the hollow inside of the bench. If several pieces are placed next to one another, the inside can become an exciting labyrinth.The construction and shape is simple, it is made only by using one material which can be 100% recycled. However, it is not able to be disassembled, and stored in a way that would save space during transportation. For this quality, further developments are needed.Whether the product could become successful, tests, and prototypes are required. And life should have its proof.

1: 2 Scale Models I built of MDF

Documents

Landmark Project Report