Category

Grow it Yourself

05.07.10

Thesis Lecture Grow it Yourself | (0)
On Wednesday, May 5th, I gave my thesis presentation in front of the ITP community, friends and family. I'd like to thank all of those who attended or logged on to watch the presentation. The presentation proposes using living bamboo as a design material. I discuss benefits of bamboo as a material, both living and harvested. I also cover experiments conducted to learn how it may be best manipulated. Grow It Yourself from mike k on Vimeo.
05.07.10

Assembled Table with Bamboo Grow it Yourself | (0)
Here are some photos of the table in a near complete stage. Thanks to my lovely model Asli, who took the time to pose at 6am (we were all crazily working through sunrise)! By the time I finished the table, my bamboo had grown very tall, so these photos are to demonstrate the aesthetic of a coffee table growing itself. I plan on growing new culms through the table once I graduate school. The planter I build has already warped out of shape, leaving the table to rest on the dirt, instead of on the inside walls of the planter.
05.03.10

Full-Size Table Grow it Yourself | (0)
The first iteration of my full-size coffee table mold. It is about two feet tall, but once I put the planter underneath, it'll be closer to 32 inches. There were some mistakes in this print on the account of material thickness. Luckily, the table still bolts together fine. The mistakes lessen the structural integrity of the table, but not its utility. I should be able to fix the errors by recutting the side brackets. [flickr-gallery mode="tag" tags="fullsize" tag_mode="all" sort="date-taken-asc"]
05.03.10

L-Shaped Planter Grow it Yourself | (0)
When designing the table, I didn't include a retainer for the soil and rhizome. If I packed dirt into the leg itself, harvesting the table would result in a shortened leg (the space that the dirt occupies). Wanting to stick with the right angled aesthetic, I've been designing a planter for the straight leg of the table to fit snugly into. I avoided plastic because I thought it may crack from rhizome growth or the weight of it's contents. Although wood may prove to be a poor choice as well, it's easier to work with and will take the weight ...
05.02.10

Half-Size Model Grow it Yourself | (0)
My third design iteration is a half-size, scale model in clear acrylic. It is intended to be a coffee table mold for bamboo to grow through. This model proved to have good structural integrity, without needing cantilevering. Here are photos of the test assembly taped together, as well as my process of glueing sides together with Weld-On. I was so excited to to assemble it that I glued it together before I routed the bamboo shoots through it. This hindered my ability to properly insert my smaller bamboo (Fargesia Robusta) into it's cavity. Lesson learned. Time to ...
04.30.10

An exercise in rhetoric Grow it Yourself | (0)
Frustrated with my thesis paper, I decided to empty my head. I've been researching conceptual projects and tree sculpting, but I couldn't find the answers I sought. Maybe the answers are in the questions. Would you still buy something if you knew it could be grown? If you knew that you could grow it? What would you grow? A chair? A bicycle? A house? And how long would you wait for it to grow? Would you wait six months for a table? How about a year? Would you wait longer if it were to the proportions of your choosing? What ...
04.28.10

Foamcore Test Grow it Yourself | (0)
Weary to waste acrylic, I had my first prototype laser cut out of foamcore. Not only is this material inexpensive, but it is 3/16" thick, which gives me a better idea on how my pieces are fitting together (the plastic will be 1/4" thick). Check out how the foam contracted from the heat of the laser. Reminds me of marshmallows. Mmm. It was a good thing. I was so caught up learning how to properly merge and divide paths in illustrator, I made all edges homogeneous. Or maybe it was the lack of sleep. You can judge by the photographs ...
04.28.10

Geotropic Experiments Grow it Yourself | (0)
Excerpt from Wikipedia entry: "Gravitropism (or geotropism) is a turning or growth movement by a plant or fungus in response to gravity. Charles Darwin was one of the first to scientifically document that roots show positive gravitropism and stems show negative gravitropism. That is, roots grow in the direction of gravitational pull (i.e., downward) and stems grow in the opposite direction (i.e., upwards). This behaviour can be easily demonstrated with a potted plant. When laid onto its side, the growing parts of the stem begin to display negative gravitropism, bending (biologists say, turning; see tropism) upwards." A good friend of mine and experienced carpenter, Matt Richard, helped to design and fabricate a rotating planter. I was ...
04.28.10

Table Prototyping Grow it Yourself | (0)
[flickr-gallery mode="tag" tags="balsa" tag_mode="all" sort="date-taken-asc"]
04.28.10

GIY: Design Sketches Grow it Yourself | (0)
Grow it Yourself (or GIY) is the idea that one can grow an entire product. For my main focus, I am designing a jig for growing a table from bamboo. Case studies, such as attempting to grow a right angle, will serve as helpful data for later attempts at growing "parts" or whole objects. I believe that this could be augment future manufacturing practices. If combined with genetic modification, one could harvest designer building materials. By cultivating these super-materials, we will lessen deforestation. I will also devise supplemental studies of how one can manipulate bamboo through various environmental stimuli that could ...