festival street furniture
DESCRIPTION
for the Edinburgh Fringe FestivalTRANSCRIPT
Materials & Structures
Assignment 2
Festival street furniture
for the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Lewis Bradley
Product Design - Year 2
40055384
INTRODUCTION
This design proposal is in response to a request for urban street furniture for a
festival the festival I have chosen to design for is the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
The response being a water fountain/drinks dispenser. It is to function both as
a water fountain (initially what will get it noticed) and also dispense water to
the thirsty public and street performers. This piece of urban street furniture
could be positioned in various locations around the city, from out on the
main streets, to beer gardens, to the main venue areas - Udder belly at Bristo
Square etc.
This unit is made up of three main parts, two of them rotationally moulded,
the other a curved Perspex panel cut to size. The unit is easy to assemble and
disassemble, it is secured by its own weight of the water used within for the
fountain and also by the rain water that it collects and filters to dispense. The
water fountain is powered by solar panels which are located on the top of
the unit. This urban fountain design conforms to the British and EN standards
for ergonomics, structural loading, materials, construction and finishes. The
position of the holes given to fill up cups and bottles are at a height suitable
for people to the 95th percentile to use.
The Edinburgh fringe festival is an extremely well known arts festival and one
of the largest in the world. The festival is connected to the underbelly which
provides a unique venue, the underbelly venue is also used to hold other
annual events around the UK. The fringe’s connection with the underbelly is
what has influenced the colour scheme of the design – the purple showing its
relation to the underbelly festival and the green showing it’s environmentally
conscious.
RESEARCH – CASE STUDIES
- Road bollards are rotationally
moulded from a durable thermoplastic
polymer – they are able to withstand a
wide range of temperatures as well no
obvious weathering/ageing – no
chips, or rust.
Colours are dyed into the plastic – no
requirement for regular painting.
Bollard base plate is bolted to the
ground.
A lot lighter than previous metal
bollards therefore easier to transport,
handle and ultimately manufacture.
- Grit bins are in two main
parts – the actual bin that holds
the grit and the lid. – Both of
these parts would be rotationally
moulded using robust medium
density polypropylene with a
yellow dye.
These bins are kept outside for
their full life time – the material
used will not degrade over time
and will withstand the weathering
process for many years. Secured
by its dead load – as they can hold up to 250kg of grit salt. Two gaps either
side of the base allows it to be transported by forklift.
- Traditional British post box – made from cast iron.
The cap of of the post box is secured by bolts from the
inside. The main body is a cast iron pillar with a hinged
door and slot for mail.
Towards the bottom of the post box the cast iron pillar
has a bigger thickness to secure the post box to the
ground – no visble fixings. w
FRI
FRINGE FESTIVAL COLOURS
DESIGN DEVELOPEMENT
MATERIALS AND FINISHES
The material being used for both rotationally moulded parts of the fountain is
high density polyethylene it has a higher resistance to UV light and can
withstand high temperatures unlike low density polypropylene. The finish on
the polyethylene would be textured to avoid writing/graffiti on the surface.
The second material being used is curved transparent Perspex making the
fountain viewable by all the people of Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival. Perspex is
being used rather than glass solely due to the weight difference – Perspex
creating it a lot easier for mobility, as well as it being cheaper, and much less
fragile.
The choice to use polyethylene was made as it has a resistance to exposed
atmospheric conditions, solar radiation, high temperatures and oxygen as
well as it being the most popular material to rotationally mould.
Other common materials rotationally moulded that were considered were:
acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate, nylon, and
polypropylene.
ROTATIONAL MOULDING
Rotational moulding is the process being used for this particular design as it
easily creates the complex shape of the drinks fountain – also making it
something large possible/lightweight for transportation. It would be weighed
down by water within the body when placed at its site then drained for
mobility.
Advantages of this manufacturing process would be that it is ideal for hollow
shapes, suitable for low volume production, it’s a simple process and also
allows for cost effective production of large components.
Disadvantages would be that it is not suitable for making small, precise
components.
Sustainability Issues would be similar with most plastic processing - high
temperatures required to melt the plastic which makes the process quite
energy intensive. However it is a pressure less process. It is hard to control an
accurate wall thickness and therefore the amount of material needed.
However any failed mouldings can be melted down and used again.
Material wall thickness – 20mm due to the volume of the water coming in and
the tensile force it will exert on the sides of the body. The unit will be
positioned at various outdoor sites therefore the wall thickness should also be
substantial to allow for weathering, wear and tear as well as inevitable abuse.
ERGONOMICS
Individuals would interact with this design both visually and physically. It
initially gets your attention visually, through the colours, form and movement
of the water then physically by the way it dispenses water into your container
of choice. It also connects with people in the way it produces the water and
powers the fountain – both environmentally friendly as the drinking water is
filtered rain water and the fountain powered by the sun. This eco-friendly
aspect will attract and interest the public as more people are aspiring to
become environmentally conscious. I believe this design would be seen as
aspirational and influential, an overall successful piece of design which would
interact well with the many people that attend Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival.
The height of the front glass panel – which is used to view the fountain
through is at a height suitable for all to see, as well as the height of the holes
in the side used to dispense water. The front at a height of 0.85m, the sides at
0.45m and the water dispensing hole at 0.95m.
The ergonomics of this design have been considered and designed to the
95th percentile – the height of the hole that dispenses the water is at a height
that makes it possible for most children as well as tall adults to use with
comfort. The top and bottom heights of the Perspex are also at heights
comfortable for people to the 95th percentile – for easy viewing of the
fountain from all angles and for all people.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
The wall thickness given to the main body of the fountain is at a thickness that
should withstand tensile stress from the force of the water pushing out. There is
a possibility however that the maximum volume is exceeded and that the
walls can no longer take the force.
Wind loads on the faces of the structure would be equalled by the structure
pushing an equal force back. It is secured in position by the weight of
sand/water within. The weight of the whole unit would be large and for the
unit to move would require a great force.
The shape of the fountain also slightly aerodynamic would help with wind
loads. The curved top was designed to catch rain – therefore no unwanted
rain load sitting compressing the unit.
COMPANY POLICY
This design proposal is in a good position regarding work ethics, sustainability,
and CO2 footprint. The designs main concentration is on being
environmentally conscious. The design is extremely efficient as the main
components are made using only two manufacturing processes – rotational
moulding, and the Perspex sheet cut and bent. The overall unit is quite large
(2.2m x 1.7m x 1m) however would not weigh much for transportation. It
dispenses filtered rain water and powers the water fountain by solar panels. It
is not required for someone to man it, as it operates by its self through the
help of natural elements – sun and rain. It would also not require regular
maintenance. The carbon footprint of the design mainly falls down in the
initial manufacturing and use of non-sustainable materials (plastics) as well as
space needed for transportation to the sites.
Another part of the company’s policy to be environmentally friendly is that
this water dispenser would not provide its own disposable cups – leaving it up
to the public to provide their own, which many people now do in their day to
day life rather than going out and buying numerous plastic bottles a day. It
encourages people to reuse bottles/cups they already have/used.
DESIGN DETAIL
COLOUR VARIENTS
- Various possible sites within the city – popular and constantly busy locations
during the festival.
DESIGN REVIEW
This design response clearly shows its design intentions through its aesthetics –
the form, colours and the site location of the design clearly shows that it is a
piece of urban street art designed specifically for the Edinburgh fringe festival
which is conveyed through its colour scheme. It also suggests that its eco-
friendly through the use of the colour green.
There is potential failure if the unit was to over flow with water – if there was a
significant rain fall and the unit wasn’t dispensing it as quick as it was filling up.
There is also possibility the walls of the fountain could burst from the force of
the water. This problem could be solved if at a certain volume there was a
mechanical door that shut over the rain catcher and diverted the water on
to the ground.
The materials chosen were appropriate due to their resistance to outdoor
conditions.
The manufacturing processes have been well chosen as the two main
components are both rotationally moulded and then certain parts cut out
allowing the two parts to work together with a constant flow of water.
The assembly of the unit would be relatively easy to put together as it consists
of two parts bolted together and the Perspex slots into the frame. The choice
of materials allows the design to have resistance to the outdoor atmosphere
as well as being relatively light weight for transportation.