hey,
as you know i was working on hockey goalkeeping body armour, but have found it uninspiring and an area i don't want to work in.
so, in a huge u-turn and creation of work for myself i have chosen to design a product which improves the indoor environment of offices using plants.
there is much evidence to back having plants indoors, some specific types filter formaldehyde, benzene and other toxic chemicals from the air; they all reduce carbon dioxide and emit oxygen; reduce stress and improve worker productivity; and their obvious aesthetic qualities.
my basic research question is proposed to be: Given plants’ air cleansing, stress reducing, aesthetic, therapeutic and positive emotional qualities, why are there not more products available aiming to integrate them into indoor environments, particularly commercial offices?
it could take the form of: wall cladding, floor tiles, hanging ceiling tiles, desk accessory, furniture, living sculpture..
hooooolly ash man.
better late then never though aye!
What are the tutors thoughts?
Your new topic area is looking at a similar environment to mine, so it would be cool to discuss some interesting research methods that we could use.
looking at things like :
- existing office environments
- If / and how much businesses would be prepared to pay.
one things anders said to me was that i need to prove how my product would benefit the company financially.
cheers
O'D
yeah for sure odes.
i guess a couple of my major questions will be why there aren't currently more alternative options to pot plants and problems with having plants indoors/in office areas, and from here how to make the product attractive to companies and employees.
there definitely has to be a financial incentive for the company, i kind of have pot plant rental as a reference point but i imagine my product could differ from that a lot so investigations here will be important.
both of our markets, initially anyway, will probably be companies and people which are early adopters of new technology, concepts etc. so finding ways of identifying them to narrow down research would be good.
ash
Hey,
A couple of yrs ago I did a paper at vic called sustainable architecture and we looked at a video of the herman miller building which is incredible. in terms of benefiting the company financially they managed to reduce 'sick days' by 100% and in turn the workers productivity increased greatly all from the indoor environment they had created.
read this link for more info
http://www.hermanmiller.com/CDA/SSA/News...55,00.html but there are better sites than that that explain the way the building and workers work since the rennovations - i just cant find them all. cool project tho
yeah that herman miller building is pretty amazing, i might watch that dvd again to reacquaint myself with it, cheers.
thanks nick, cool stuff. apparently 12% is the increase in worker productivity with plants around, which is substantial
Your crazy ash, but don't worry about being behind as the rest of us have done sweet fa.
Have a look at Neagative Ion generators. They seem a bit wisshy~wasshy but there is some research out there to prove that they reduce stress, dust, odors etc.
The ones you buy look crap. Maybe you could incorporate the generator into your product.
please design a plastic plant ash, you would be my hero... But seriously ash dont fret on the change of tack, just go hard, immerse yourself in natural environmants and find what really is therapeutic about them, ensure they are completely integrated with the ways people use interior spaces, try not to be too prescriptive in the ways you intend people to act and interact - a playful solution could be nice and think about building health, air quality, maybe integrating vegetable/fruit food production (think of the food miles...) and of course the spiritual ramifications as you suggested - try not to remove the audience from the care and nurturing which promotes this kind of connection. Nice topic bro, good luck.
i'm really interested in the interaction between the built indoor environment, natural environment and humans. buildings influence us physically, visually, and through smell and noise, but spaces like the computer labs are not usually a positive influence. i imagine some lush planting and clean fresh crisp air would improve the experience and people may get more work done and enjoy it more. growth may even have a slight hawthorne effect in office buildings.
making it easy and fun for people to care for plants that are part of an interior work space could foster a positive relationship between people and the places they work. and if spaces are lush and enjoyable and slightly exciting or wonderful then i imagine it will show through in the work produced in them.
This is more architecture, but still pretty interesting:
http://www.inhabitat.com/2005/06/22/skyscraper-farming/
Part of the product could be some sort of natural light ducting system. Like a duct that comes in through the ceiling, and has a potted system hanging beneath, could be quite intergrated.
I just keep thinking of desktop hydroponics though. I don't think it would be too hard to find an expert....