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0.0 Introduction

This project is aim to design a sleeping pod. Sleeping, as a intimate thing which people embarrassed to do in public. Nonetheless, in some conditions, people desire to sleep. My group would like to design a sleeping pod which could install on the wall as public facility.In a public area, privacy, comfortable, the sense of security are three major conditions we pusued.

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1.0 IDEATION

The section of the folder is more complicated than the elevation of the folder. The shapes of the sections are irregular, there I choosed the easier way to do it, I traced over the photo I took.

All of these darwings cre-ated by the 1:1 scale.

MEASURING METHOLOGY

This folder is a very simpy object constructed by few plastic panels. For the elevation of this folder, I fistly measured the key dimensions of the folder then did the sketch for one time before the final drawing. In terms of the regular rectangle shape, the measure ruler is the essential tool. In order to draw the curve, I measured the top line and bottom line that curves achived, then draw the curves following the top and bottom line.

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The maximum degree this folder can reach is 180. The opening radium can chage the dimension of the folding edge. The bigger radium, the edge is thinner, the greatest radium can stretch the edge as a line. The smaller radium, the edge is

thiker. Theoretically, the thickness of the folding edge should be same, nonethless, due by the soft character of the plastic, the folding edge has various thickness.

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The hard plastic sheet could shape the soft folding plastic sheets. The folder shaped as the curves, created seashell pattern. Different angle that hard plastic sheet bent could shape the soft plastic.

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Developed from sketch model, I draw three ideas which protect people from different parts of body. These three ideas all using the folding and panelling system.

First Idea: It is a sleeping pod design for standing position. When people under the mood of relaxing and rest-ing, the vigilance always weaker than usual. Do not expose our weakness is the way we acquire the sense of security. At the position of standing and facing the wall, the weakness of us is our back.. This idea aim to protect our back by the strong folding structure. It also has a bone structure at the place where our verte-brab column which could attach to the wall and bearing the weight of person.

Second Idea: Inspired from the idea of seashell which could give people sense of safety by been surrounded by the strong and collapsible plastic. The front of body also is the part we want to protect when we sitting in a public space.

Third Idea: The head and the part of neck are the important areas too. The folding and panelling structure proctect the person from the front part of body stretch to the back, protecting people meanwhile supporting the person.

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2.0 DESIGN

Group 5: Wenxin Chen; Hengyi Lin

(Photo by Hengyi Lin)

After phase 1 development, I decided to maintain the proposal of giving sense of security. It is about giving the shape of semiellipse, protecting the upper part of body at the same time providing enough private space for people to relax in a confortable position. The proposal Hengyi Lin provided was the folded plates structure.

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Through the process that Hengyi Lin digitized our model, he firstly produced the basic shape of the sleeping pod, and then use the panelling tool to apply the folding parttern which we would like to use.

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The precedent we reseached was Veasyble by GAIA. The veasyble using the folding structure to create a isolated space. It aim to use the Sel-structuring helix and folding structure to construct the surreal-ism of privacy.

(Diagram by Wenxin Chen)

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(Photo by Wenxin Chen) (Photo by Wenxin Chen)

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By the aspect of material and pattern scale, we started doing the prototype We tested the white drawing paper at this stage. The paper was too thin and floppy. The white colour paper could not contribute the private sense, also could not block the light. Therefore we decided to abandon this material and started to looking for other materials.

(Photo by Hengyi Lin) (Photo by Hengyi Lin)

(Photo by Hengyi Lin)

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3.0 FABRICATION

Review our Module 2 design, we realised that our design was plain. From module 2, the sleeping pod we designed was more likely developed as a conceptual model. The form was a simple elliptical shape. Our brief for the sleeping pod was the ‘pri-vate space’. The sleeping pod was designed for the tagets who the pubilc place. We purposed to design a project which use the simplest form to achieve the private and comfortable experience for the user. Nonethless, we didn’t developed our base and struc-ture system fully which caused the fail of modul 2 process.

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In terms of the crucial component of our design, the folding structure is the part we testing most.

We tested the white drawing paper during the module 2 process. In next step, we tested the transparence paper. At the beginning, we considered that the strength of it should strong enough for the structure, also we might be able to use spray paint to colour it. We finaly found out it is too crackable which could not satisfy our folding structure.

We used masking tape to assemble every parts of the folding structure in order to achieve the size we aimed. After testing, the masking tape was too weak and inaesthetic, we gave up to use it.

The scale of the pattern we tested at the first was 10cm*5cm which we realised that was to small. The pattern of the folding system could influence the curve it created also the intensity of it. We decided to test the bigeer size of the pattern.

During the devloping process of the base of the project, we dicussed about the foam. In the beginning, we believed high density foam could provid a very light and intergrated base for our design. Also the high density foam is easy to polish and shape. The idea was very ideal, primarly we did not find big enough size of high density form art suppliers which forced us to buy sevral small pieces and glue them together. We also found that its very hard to use hot wire cutting machine to help us to achieve the shape due by the size.

As the result we have to give up this material.

By the next stage of the development, we decided to test on the waffle structure. According by the reading, we been suggested to use CNC. We started consider about using laser cutter to achieve the waffle shape of our base. Hengyi Lin made the comfortable body shape through the rihno then do the waffle structure by the shape, in the end lay out the plan of each pieces of the waffle structure.

The material we applied was 3mm MDF board. We though about the plywood board in the beginning, because of the size of the model is one by one scale, the plywood would be crackable also the node within the plywood board could influ-ence the strength of it.

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During the devloping process of the base of the project, we dicussed about the foam. In the beginning, we believed high density foam could provid a very light and intergrated base for our design. Also the high density foam is easy to polish and shape. The idea was very ideal, primarly we did not find big enough size of high density form art suppliers which forced us to buy sevral small pieces and glue them together. We also found that its very hard to use hot wire cutting machine to help us to achieve the shape due by the size.

As the result we have to give up this material.

By the next stage of the development, we decided to test on the waffle structure. According by the reading, we been suggested to use CNC. We started consider about using laser cutter to achieve the waffle shape of our base. Hengyi Lin made the comfortable body shape through the rihno then do the waffle structure by the shape, in the end lay out the plan of each pieces of the waffle structure.

The material we applied was 3mm MDF board. We though about the plywood board in the beginning, because of the size of the model is one by one scale, the plywood would be crackable also the node within the plywood board could influ-ence the strength of it.

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In order to develope the folding struc-ture, we started to testing other material. We tried the crafting paper which was 190gsm. It is thicker and working good at blocking the light. However when we started intalled these folding structure on the waffle base, the rail could not sus-tain these crafting paper. The 195 gsm crafting paper was too heavy.

We gave up using it, and optimised the material as the 140 gsm black paper.

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In terms of the scale of the folding structure, we decided use the bigger scale which is 15cm*7.5cm.

The 140 gsm black paper is perfectly satisfying our structure. It is not too heavy for the 3mmMDF rail to sustain.

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In order to optimisation the junction of the sliding path-way, we firstly considered to use transparent adhesive tape. It is very aesthetic, however it is not strong eng-outh to bear the tension of the string. After all, we used hot glue gum carefully seal the gap between two piec-es of the MDF board. The hot glue gum working quite well, it is strong enough.

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The way we choose firstly to fixed the sliding board was rataining screws. The diameter of the screws was 4mm which was perfect match with the hole on the board. Nonethless we found it was too tide, when we started tie the fish lines with the pathway, the screw made the sliding stuck.

As the result, we used rings which is thinner than the retaining screw, also convenience for people to use .

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In order to help the pathway sustain the weight of the folding structure, we used strings to fix the pathway to the back of the waffle structure.

The material we used first was fish line, we found it has elasticity which make it became loose also hard to tie. Even though it is asethtic, we decided to change it. We used cotton thread to achieve this. Cause cotton thread was too thick, the part tied on the pathway still using fish line to connect.

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In order to tie the folding structure on the waffle base, we firstly used awl to get holes on the structure, then we got fish lines go through the holes.

However, we found that the tension that lines bear would make the hole bigger and ruined the paper. We decided use hot glue gum to optimise the juntion of the lines and paper.

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Fabr

icat

ion

Sequ

ence

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1. place the bottom piece of waffle structure to its position, make sure the notches are mathcing each other.

2. install the rest of the horizontal pieces

3. turn the waffle around, this should be what is got after step 2

4. place the sliding piece between two rails

Assembly Drawing (By Hengyi Lin)

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5. use bolts to fix the sliding piece to the rail, the same process for the other three slidings

6. This is what should be got after step 5, adjust the slidings to make them ready for as-sembling foldings

7. install foldings onto the structure, refer to Fabrication Sequence step d1 to d3 for details

8. completed

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4.0 REFLECTION

4.1 REFERENCE

Throughout develop process of this object, the thing I learnt most was, improving when we practicing. In module 1 and module 2, we majority focused on the conceptual ideas and drawings. In the beginning, we tried to design something simple and comfortable for people to relax and sleep. Design something simple is easy, nonetheless I realized that de-sign something simple but efficient is difficult. Design the object should not only display on drawing, but also should be fabricated. During the process of fabrication, problems been revealed. When we tried to solve problems, we also were developing our project. Lwamoto argued that making becomes knowledge or intelligence creation. In this way thinking and doing, design and fabrication, and prototype and final design become blurred, interative, and part of a non-linear means of innovation. (2009) What I found most challenging of the studio was the process of fabrication. Especially process when we use rhino to create digital model were the most confusing part. We started taught ourselves to use rhino and CNC. In terms of our design, if we made more prototype could improve our form of the object.

Digital fabrications: architectural and material techniques / Lisa Iwamoto. New York : Princ-eton Architectural Press, c2009.