Sustainable Design in My Own Back Yard

Having been inspired by Nathan Shedroff's recent appearance and talk at UCD's Kleiber Hall I desided to try an experiment. I had been thinking about the concept of sustainable design for a few days since hearing him speak and I kept pondering the idea of how I personally as a carpenter could take the concept and implement it in my work and in my life.

I had been demolishing a redwood deck for a customer over the previous week. I knew that it was basically time for a new deck and that the old one was rotting in places. However, there was still some wood in the deck that had life left. Once you removed the rotten area the pieces that were still good would be too short to use in a new deck but surely they could be used somewhere. With my newfound inspiration I decided to see if I could come up with a project in which I could use the remaining wood. After mulling it over a few days I stubled on my answer while at a friend's wedding.

The wedding was held at lodge and in the lodge I literally found the answer under my ass. I had sat on a bench and realized it was pretty but not very comfortab

le. I had built benches in the past and a key component of many designs I found lacking was the seat itself. This particular bench had a small sign however that stated it had been made of “reclaimed” redwood from an old barn. So it hit me – I would design a better more comfortable bench and use the reclaimed redwood from the deck I was tearing apart!

I was having a good time at the wedding and after a couple beers I told my friends with excitement probably more about redwood benches then they had ever known or would ever want to know... After awhile I gave them a break and joined everyone on the dancefloor but secretly I was really excited to get back to my shop and work on the design.

Once back in the shop I decided to borrow bits and pieces from various designs and focus my attentions on the seat – the source of what most designs had been lacking. Using the methods discussed by Tim Brown at IDEO design firm I actually made a quick prototype seat out of simple materials and modified it until it had a curve that mformed to the bum, curved right up at an angle supporting the back and felt amazingly comfortable. That was it!

The next day I built the first bench and it was pretty

successful. I found that using the older lighter redwood made it a little lighter and easier to move around. It is now on my porch awaiting test subjects and feedback!

Mysterious Time Machine Appears on Campus!!

In a scene right out of the early 1990's computer game “Myst” a time capsule-like object has suddenly appeared behind the art building on the UC Davis campus. As of yet there has been no report of mysteriously dressed intruders but I'm sure we'll hear something soon. They have quite conspicuously parked their time machine under the redwoods in the Arboretum just behind the Art building next to the Davis loop.

I was surprised to discover what appears to be someone's incredibly cool art project while on my way back to my car after my Design 137 B class today. As I made my way along the path between the Art and Music buildings toward the parking lot on the back of the Davis loop I turned a corner and was stopped dead in my tracks by a most almost peculiar sculpture. It was so unique and yet familiar that I completely forgot what I was doing and where I was going. I gazed up and down over the object's metal surfaces. It was nine ten feet tall and comprised of a capsule shaped metal chamber with decorative ironwork attached as legs and

a base. The base actually had wheels, although they looked “beached” in the bark ground cover that they rested in. The chamber had an open port hole in the front just begging you to climb inside. The iron had an aged and warn looked suggesting it had traveled near and far possibly over not just time but space and had somehow ended up here. I knew it looked somehow familiar. It reminded me a little of a movie I had watched with my dad when I was a kid. The movie was called the “Time Machine” with an actor named Rod Serling (most famous for hostting the “Twilight Zone” TV series) that had been adapted from the H.G. Wells novel of the same name. But I knew that wasn't why it seemed so familiar.

Then it hit me – Myst! It was just like the contraptions created in the computer game “Myst” which was incredibly popular in the early 90's. In the game there were similar capsules in which characters teleported to and around a mysterious island in an unnamed sea. You had to travel from one place to another, unlocking the secrets of the island one by one in succesion until you solved the overall mystery of the inhabitants and were allowed to leave. It occurred to me that there were probably geeks all over the world like myself who would instantly get the “Myst” connetion whether the artist intended it or not. Of course you don't have to have played the game Myst to enjoy the sculpture.

I brought my cohorts in design, Kelly Stewart and Beth “Tater” Totten to see the sculpture later and they were instantly taken by the design. Beth, a trouble maker from birth, had to be held back from climbing into the inviting open chamber and getting us all arrested.

As of that day there was no plack out yet to name the creator but hats off to the artist for a truly successful design!

The Future of Design, the Future of Sustainability in our World

Nathan Shedroff: photo courtesy of California College of the Arts, San Francisco

Nathan Shedroff is one of the leading design thinkers preaching the gospel of sustainability today. On a recent visit to UC Davis Kleiber Hall – Shedroff spoke to a packed house. The topic was “sustainable design” and not only how to design products to be sustainable but how to communicate the need to the public for a different approach.

Sustainability, according to Nathan Shedroff is really the only choice. According to Shedroff we can no longer afford the old ways of designing for comfort and fashion without any consideration to how the product is made, how long a useful life it has, and where it ends up when it's life is over. Throwing everything in the landfills when we're done with it is akin to sweeping it under the rug – sooner or later you run out of rug.

To address this we have to address the key questions that the common consumer has: What is the incentive to incorporate sustainable design? Why would anyone do it if it costs more? If it is sustainable will it still meet the needs of the people?

With a simple “bullseye” he breaks the areas of importance into three categories: Financial, Social and Ecological. He stresses that you cannot focus just on one and ignore the others. Truly smart design one must address all three.

One of the most powerful tools is communication. In the past the rift between the need for sustainable design and the belief that it was necessary has been a matter of communication. Educating the public in terms that they can understand is key. Leading the graduate MBA program at the California College of the arts he teaches his students to how to successfully paint a picture of the need for change.

Shedroff cautions us to avoid use of the term “Green” as in “Green building and “Green Design”. He states that it's basically a marketing or communication issue. “ People have a lot of old images associated with the term 'green' - hippies, dirty feet, granola....connotations of another era”. According to Shedroff, these old images cause people to close their minds and quickly look away so if we're trying to sell people on sustainability we need a new approach. Also the term has a tendency to focus just on the Ecological impact of design and divert attention from the financial and social aspects. These are simply too important to be passed over. If we stress the interaction of all three areas and the concept that smart design addresses them all people will be more likely to take the concept seriously.All in all, in order for sustainability to be embraced with open arms we are going to have to think on all levels and take a smart approach.

Nathan Shedroff is chair of the new Design Strategy MBA program at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco.

Above: New graphics for better communication to the public emphasizing the three major components effected by and effecting design and their interaction.

“Objectified “- The future of design and it's impact on the world around us....

Want to gain a whole new appreciation for the things in our everyday lives? Go see the movie “Objectified” from producer/director Gary Hustwit. It's an incredible film that follows designers through the process of design from the way they brainstorm and research to how they implement change to suit need in the most ordinary everyday objects and thus make them “extraordinary”.

An example used is the taking of an ordinary potato peeler which is not comfortable or easy to grip and giving it a more ergonomic handle so that people can peel bags of potatoes without getting sore or constantly dropping the utensil. It may seem small and insignificant but people eat a lot of potatoes. Plus it's just one of thousands of items we touch and interact with on a weekly basis. If we continue to improve all the objects we use what would be the overall effect on our lives?

Objectified makes the point that literally everything in our lives, all the objects, tools and contraptions we interact with on a daily basis to work, to live, to get from one place to the other have been designed by someone. We are constantly surrounded with someone's design work.

The designers interviewed in the film introduce us to a staggering concept. Until recently a huge portion of all that has been designed ends up in landfills with not much thought given to lifespan or recyclability. Now that we have the all new potato peeler what happens to the old ones? Chance are the majority of them go straight into the garbage can and eventually to the county landfill.

We are at an important crossroads in our history. There has been increasing awareness to the concept of responsibility and as Objectified puts it, “stewardship” of the earth. For today's designers this means designing from now on with consideration of the entire lifespan of the object or “Cradle to Cradle”. How big is the carbon footprint of the object while being made? How long will it be useful? When it breaks, is worn out or is simply out of fashion, where will it go? The landfills are limited. New designers are making tomorrow's generations of “stuff” of increasingly more recyclable material and with a smaller carbon footprint. An example is in the world of technology – computers, cell phones, mp3 players. There has been movement away from plastics such as the once touted “material of tomorrow” poly vinyl chloride (pvc) and toward lightweight aluminum which can be melted down and reused. This approach is being applied an all levels and with the attitude that it is late in the game and there is no other way.

Go see Objectified – you'll never look at your potato peeler the same way again.

Above: out with the Old and in with the New

Your True Colors- or are they?

Color collage inspired by Joseph Albers

by RLFriedrich(2001)

When you see color what are you really seeing?

As a remodeler I have for years dealt with the issues surrounding the choosing of colors. Mariages have disintegrated and lawsuits have been filed over this basic ritual that every homeowner must eventually face. But in the end it always comes down to choices.

There are several approaches you can take when you decide to redesign your humble abode. First, you can do it yourself. There are books, DVDs and even an entire television network dedicated to cheering you on and guiding you every step of the way. If you take this route it can save money but the risks often lie in the choices you make. I have come onto many potential job sites and often been greeted at the door by a frustrated man or woman who looks like they have recently lost a lot of sleep. It usually turns out that they started the work themselves and it either turned out they didn't have as easy a time as they thought or they made catastrophic choices.

When you hire a contractor you can try to tap into their reserve of knowledge and experience but this doesn't guarantee you success. Why? Because we all think differently when it comes to colors and color combinations.Your contractor has made a career of knowing how to use power tools and apply the paint but not necessarily put the colors together. So who can do this?

If you have the money you can hire an interior designer. It is his or her job to look through carpet and linoleum samples, shuffling them together with paint chips to pour over literally thousands of possible combinations. These they scrutinize with vigor and a fine eye and ultimately narrow it down to a select few that for some reason might appeal to the customer. Since we all think differently and all have different tastes how can they possibly hope to accomplish such a momentous task?

They answer may lie in their training. Good interior designers have an understanding of the way people think and perceive colors and color arrangements and when it comes to understanding people and color one of the best educators is Josef Albers. His teachings on color theory are an essential for designers and artists alike.

According to Josef Albers we all have a different perception of color. We can all look at the same red school house but we all see it in a different way. Through the filters of our eyes the particular combination of shades and tones is different to each one of us; as different perhaps as our own fingerprints. Albers compares the pairings of colors and the ultimate combination they form to the way different musical notes come together to form a chord. In music when you mix together a combination of notes that doesn't work we describe the resulting cacophony as “discordant”. In the contracting world when yo

u mix together a combination of colors that doesn't work we call it a “homeowner special”. How can you avoid living in a “homeowner special”?

A good start would be to learn the basics of understanding color and the perception of color. Albers book “Interaction of Color”(1971 Yale University Press) is great read on the subject. Of course Albers goes way beyond the basics. In his book we learn of such discoveries as “The Bezold Effect” stating that when you have a particular collection of colors you can change just one tone and create an entirely different effect and perception- akey element when applied to design. He also goes further in his comparison of music tocolor showing us that we measure both musical tones and color hues in

wavelength. Other topics that serve to educate the reader or the “Relativity of color”, harmony and relative “weights” of tones when juxtaposed to each other. In the end the reader comes away armed with a whole new understanding of how we view color and what “color” truly means.

study by Josef Albers demonstarating the "Bezold effect"- by changing just one color the overall impression of to the color landscape changes drastically.

Is Google the new Big Brother?

In the classic 1984 George Orwell introduces us to a world where the government is controlling every facet of people's lives. They do so through an army of enforcement agents and a system of cameras that watches anyone and everyone wherever they are - public or private. Well, the government may not have gotten to this point just yet but there is someone keeping an eye on us all.

For years it seemed that Google was too good to be true. They designed the best internet products for us to use and in an apparent bout of insanity forgot to charge us for them. Their search engine worked so well it became the undisputed champion and favorite amongst 87.7% * of internet users in 2003. Industry analysts criticized them for providing a such an amazing free product with no real way of gaining income from it. However, the people knew a good thing when they saw it and proved it by ravenously gobbling up stock when Google went public in 2005. The stock continued to rise making millionaires quickly out of early stock holders. Over the next few years naysayers continued to say it was too good to be true but Google had their elves hard at work behind the scenes.

Over the past couple years Google has perfected a system of analyzing use of their free products from Google Maps to the Gmail email program in order to generate revenue from advertisers. Here's how it works:

Anytime you use Google search to find a restaurant or business, a central database takes notes. When you use Google maps to get directions somewhere Google assumes you're going there and places specific adds along the side of the next window that pops up. The adds are for businesses in the neighborhood that you might benefit from visiting. Similar practices are used in conjunction with Google Earth. The most controversial practice and the one that is attracting attention and critics is what they are doing with Google Mail or "Gmail".

When you type and send a message to someone using your gmail account, a program looks for key words in your message. To cut to the chase let's say you send a message to your spouse regarding some lingerie that you plan on wearing. An add for Frederick's of Hollywood or Victoria's Secret might then pop up in the next window. Commercial companies love this and this is one of many ways Google has found to "cash in" on the widespread use of their free products. There's only one problem - people don't like the idea of anyone reading their emails - even a computer. The P.R. folks at Google insist that it is only a computer program looking at emails and no actual person views them, but people still see it as an invasion of privacy. Also the question is posed: Is Google saving the information any where- say in a compiled profile attached to you or your computer? If so, who can access it. If so this would give rise to a whole generation of legal battles. There are already cases in court of legal entities trying to subpoena cell phone records to determine whereabouts. With the potential Google has for information that picture could be much more detailed.

"Google knows more about you then your mother" said Kevin Bankston, senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation a recent interview. This idea has privacy advocates and watchdog groups sounding the alarms and the issue is sure to be a "hot button" topic in the months and years to come as the use and power of these intelligent programs increases.

The potential for profiling people is huge. Picasa Web is a program that allows you to store all your photos on line. Not long ago, the company was bought by Google. With facial recognition software it's possible that Google will even know who all your friends are.

Is Googles master design going to far? Not long ago many of these ideas would have been unbelievable but with today's technology what is possible may make you want to question how you use that little electronic box in front of you.

Momento - A creative new idea that still grabs you

I recently decided to re-watch the movie "Memento" starring Guy Pierce. I had always loved the movie but couldn't figure out why I am always drawn back to it. Generally speaking I have spent hours pondering what it is that makes us like or dislike movies.  

What it all really boils down to is the design of the movie - that is, the way it's put together. In my pondering I have isolated a few key elements that seem to spell success and I came up  with a few guidelines.

1 - Content - To start with, any movie that is creative enough that I cannot predict it's path is off to a good start. I hate it when a movie is obvious and you know the ending a hour before you see it. It makes the movie extremely anti climactic which makes the lead up to the end boring. This leads to characteristic #2

2 - A good creative ending. I think many if not most movies can grab your attention most of the way through and keep you rolling along for awhile but it takes real talent to write a good, original ending that is not to "over the top" and works.

3 - Does it stick with you? I think this idea is often overlooked and people don't realize the importance. I have found that an original well done movie sticks with you and you find yourself thinking about it the next day and possibly the day after. The better the movie, the more you find your mind drifting back to it. If you are so intrigued that you watch it again then it has good "replay value" and that is hard to find in the video store.

Momento satisfies all these categories and more. The director Guy Ritchie came up with the pioneering new concept of filming the movie starting with the final scene and presetting the viewer with each scene in descending order leading back to the begging. The movie is a mystery and it's clear early on that there as been a murder and the lead character's wife has been killed and he is left with a brain injury that keeps him from storing any new memories. The filming style causes you to relate to the main character's confusion. You never now who to trust as the main character or hero heads bluntly through time trying to use his instincts and a series of permanent tattoos that list the clues he's found so far. To avoid spoiling the end I recommend picking up a copy. Or is it the beginning ?