Seed Library - Process Book

BIOCENTRIC DESIGN Seed Library

Team ElV:Erick Ortiz, Linda Aristizabal, Viveca Johansson Vancoucer Public Library Village Vancouver Fall 2014

What is a Seed Library?

Humans have been preserving seeds for thousands of years. But in the last century the knowledge has been moving away from the hands of regular citizens to those of big corporations. This has created a dependency on farmers to buy seeds from companies who also produce the chemicals and fertilizers necessary to have a successful crop. Additionally many of those seeds are GMOs, and cannot be harvested to be used twice because they are considered intellectual property of the company. Forcing farmers to buy them again every time. And due to the high costs of seeds many farmers in third world countries (such as India) go bankrupt and commit suicide.

A seed library is a place were seeds are exchanged, donated or lent to community farmers and the general public with the intention of preserving biodiversity, promoting healthy eating and fostering community resilience.

Why Should you Participate?

There are many advantages to growing your own vegetables, by either joining a community garden or starting your own. And there are plants that can be grown with minimal space and care if you have a busy life ad live in an apartment with no backyard. By participating you: The food you plant is organic and has no harmful chemicals You save money Engage with the community You promote biodiversity of plants that have ideal growing conditions in your local area

seed mat Initial sketches

Belts or traps to close

seed LIBRARY LAB Initial sketches Test tubes have air tight seals

Rolls for easy transportation

Small units for storage allow for more variety

Has to be made out of a flexible material such as fabric or leather

Clear glass or plastic allows user to see all the seeds

Pockets used for stotage

Carried in a similat way to a yoga mat Concept Design and sketches done by Linda Aristizabal

Concept Design and sketches done by Linda Aristizabal

Pharmaceutical drawer Initial sketches

Lazy susan Concept I Dividers provide the X-axis component of our organization system

Outer shell protects the seeds from spilling inside the truck Wheels to move around library

Possibility for collapse to provide easy storage and Transportation Handle for easy movility

Locks in to prevent theft

Levels provide the Y-axis of the organization system we created

Double sided Drawer

Top view

Small drawers Concept Design and sketches done by Linda Aristizabal

Y-axis (Type of plant: Edibles, Herbs and flowers)

Lazy Susan system provides an interactive way for more than one person to engage the seed library at a time

Rotates

X-axis (level of difficulty or care the plant needs) Concept Design and sketches done by Erick Ortiz and Viveca Johansson

Seed Stand Concept II

Seed table Concept III Lid can Include a lock to prevent the seeds from spilling during transportation or people taking seeds without permission from librarian

Clear acrylic or plexiglass to keep the seeds dry and in place during transportation

Folds up in a similar way to an ipad cover to become a suitcase

Fabric exterior (flexible material needed to make the folds)

eS ed

Compartments made out of wood

y r a Libr

Laser cut Graphics can be added to the lid

Designed for movility around the library, It is sturdy and the rectangular shape allows easy transportation on the moving truck. Lid on top also prevents seeds from spilling with movement. Thedesign also includes a handle and wheels on the bottom

Handles

Designed to be easy to carry and transport.

Designed to be tall to prevent small children from graving the seeds or playing with display.

Y-axis: Category (Difficulty for Planting)

X-axis: Category (Edible, Flowers and Herbs)

Concept Design by Team ELV, cardboard prototype and sketches done by Erick Ortiz

Space for books and pamflets that can provide information regarding seed presevation, successful planting, etc.

Clear acrylic or plexiglass used on this section for donations. People can see that there are donations without taking them by mistake.

Y-axis: Category (Difficulty for Planting)

X-axis: Category (Edible, Flowers and Herbs)

Concept Design by Team ELV, cardboard prototype and sketches done by Linda Aristizabal

Exploring the Mechanism Ideation: collapse

Shape also provides the perfect slot to fit hands, giving better access for peoples hands. This reduces the space necessary between levels.

Change can be applied to either the sides or the corners. If applied to sides it would be to all six sides

Instead of a regular hexagon we can build the front in such away that it will fit like a puzzle between the different levels. The change would only affect the exterior walls not the shape of the container itself, which means the floors will be kept flat.

Bottom piece can function as leg. It would have three legs if applied to corners or six if applied to sides. Those legs would make it easier for the librarians to pick up and carry the display.

Advanced

Fit protects seeds from rodents and prevents them from spilling during transportation because it locks the mechanism when collapsed. This way it wont open or rotate when collapsed.

Donation

Intermediate

Beginner

Y

Edible Flowers

Only corners that have no dividers installed. It would have three legs as half the sided are flat

Easy

Medicinal

X Concept and sketches by Linda Aristizabal

Exploring theIdeation: Mechanism collapse + handle Possible handle: since dowel cannot be compressed and will stick out it is the handle could resemble that of a carry on luggage bag. And some wheels could be added to move it around the library and into the moving truck.

Can be either the natural color of the wood or green. Making only the grooves green might make a good cue to signal how the mechanism works

Piece ďŹ ts into the groove to lock levels in place and allow them to spin freely

Groove to drop Groove to spin

4 wheels on the corners Two separate pieces make up dowel Exploration of different handles some with shapes reminiscent of nature (can be made with bent aircraft plywood or cork plywood)

Wheels or legs

Different colors for dowel as well, green can simulate a stem of a plant or natural wood for a more reďŹ ned look Leathers straps can be included to make it easier to carry around Concept and sketches by Linda Aristizabal

Exploring the Mechanism Ideation: collapse Bottom level has to heavier or the same weight as the other three levels By studying jewelry stands we discovered that we could provide better access to the seed packets by moving the rotation axis on the hexagon from the centre to the side. The change would also make construction simpler. We just have to make sure the weight on the bottom drawer exceeds the weight of the other three together. We decided to take this model to a the Neighbour Savour potluck organized by Village Vancouver in hopes of obtaining feedback to improve the model.

Dowel placed on the side instead to give better access to viewers

In order to eliminate the long dowel that would stick out when the display is collapsed, it is possible to break it down into parts that ďŹ t with each other like lego pieces. They can be assemble together when the system is used for display and taken apart when it needs to be stored

Concept and graphics by Linda Aristizabal

LazyCompact susan Edition

Since we moved the dowel to the side to give better access to the compartments, it is possible to simplify design even further. That way there are no pieces that have to be assembled or stored separately. This is done by making the dowel the exact same size as the compartment levels. The display still rotates but it doesn’t compress because it is already in a compact form.

Concept by team ELV, graphics and renders by Linda Aristizabal

Lazy susan: Tree branches First Attempt 103.35

204.93

3.50

We discovered that by joining multiple boxes together we could create a branch

154.90

7.50

101.75

118.68

6.68 3.57

170.44

4.65 4.79

6.77

3.50

146.42

94.90 133.98

2.49 2.75

7.50

8.45

9.49

We designed the branch to hold four boxes per level. Each box representing the levels of difficulty for planting as explained on our grid system graphic. In this case the prototype we made is to scale, and the size of each box is designed to fit all the sizes of seed packets.

Unfortunately when we tried to cut it in wood we discovered there was no tool that could help us cut all the bases to be the precisely the same size. Even worse it was going to be a nightmare figuring out the angles for the joinery of the walls and the table saw only locks the blade on standard angles

2.18

3.50

Concept by team ELV, prototype by Linda Aristizabal and Erick Ortiz and graphics by Linda Aristizabal

Lazy susan: TreeArrow branches Shaped Boxes Dislay While closed

Each individual level

Open dislay

Open dislay

To make construction easier we standardized the size of the compartments. They are boxes with a triangle fused to the tip so that they can connect three different directions. This way we preserved the tree branch concept that we previously attempted Concept by team ELV, graphics and renders by Linda Aristizabal

Lazy susan:Removable TreeArrow branches Shaped Boxes In this model the boxes are not attached to the base but slide into it. This way the user can interact with it on a personal level too by taking one of the boxes. .

This is an exploration we did to make the display more interactive, easier to build and easier to repair if it gets damages. The boxes are easy to make, they are all a standard size and all the angles for the joinery are common for all power-tools.

Concept by team ELV, graphics and renders by Linda Aristizabal

Lazy susan: Tree branches Arrow Shaped Boxes on Base Simplify: make boxes into plain rectangles. Easier to make and to replace for wear and tear. Instead create a mechanism that attaches them into that shape Donation bins don’t have to self regulate. In the library community partners always do the organization.

r e n n egi

B

Inter

Easy

medi

Advanced

Display could include compartments to fit DIY seed packets.

ate

EAsier to Regulate broader categories of seeds Color coding the levels to help people put them back into place in the library

Current Organization

Additional information should be put separately to indicate use. Possibly on the lid which seems like a “wasted opportunity” if it is left balnk.

r e n n egi

N/Z

B A/M

After Feedback Organization

Concept by team ELV, cardboard model by Erick Ortiz and Linda Aristizabal

Final Concept By team

Sense of community and personal engagement

ELV

Multiple users can engage it at the same time

Display transforms from a compact piece to a full display Levels open and rotate

Seeds categorized based on plant species by dividers inside boxes We will provide with a pdf with the divides, that way if the librarians need more dividers or some dividers get damaged they can print more of them.

Boxes can be removed from display

Flora

l

The purpose of this seed library is to connect communities and local food growing. This service is for the community. In order ot keep it self-sustaining, VPL encourages donating seeds. Feel free to contribute to your community, and take as many seeds as you need.

A seed library is a hub for seed exchange, donation, and homage to community farmers and general public, with the intention of preserving biodiversity, promoting healthy eating, and fostering community resilience.

This project was created by third year Industrial Design students of Emily Carr University of Art and Design, in collaboration with Village Vancouver and the Vancouver Public Library.

Concept by team ELV, graphics and renders by Linda Aristizabal

Light Weight

Sturdy and easy to load on VPL transportation trucks

Minimal Care

Drop-off Edibles Floral medicinal

A/m

n/Z

This seed library focuses on organizing seeds according to three types, based on their use.

Orange - Drop Off. Leave your seeds in these boxes to later be organized.

Green - Edible.

Blue - Medicinal.

Purple - Floral.

You will ďŹ nd that the seed species are organized in alphabetical order, inside each box.

As well, a seperate box to house seeds that are easy to grow, require minimal care, and are best suited for beginners.

Concept by team ELV, graphics and renders by Linda Aristizabal

The Making Final Design

Once we ďŹ gured out the measurements for the ďŹ rst box, we had a template to do the rest, so we just produced all the parts together before forming them into boxes.

We wanted to stain the wood inside of the boxes to color code it, without it looking to child-like. But we didn’t want to use the wood stainers in the market that are so toxic so we looked at an ecological alternative. The alternative brand was too expensive so we looked at different options and we discovered we could use food coloring to stain the wood.

We roughly traced all the bases we needed and cut them close to the edge.

We then made a template with the correct size and used the pin router to trim them all in such a way that they could be exactly the same.