Taller: A Modular Vertical Storage System

TALLER A Modular Vertical Storage System

i TJ Lefebvre s3281948 RMIT Industrial Design GRAP1040: Industrial Design Honours Project Part Two: Design and Research Prototyping Semester 1 2018

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my deepest appreciation to Sophie. Without her unceasing support, guidance and wisdom, I would not be writing this thanks.

I would also like to express my endless gratitude to my colleague and friend, Chris, who’s incredible support, help and generosity made an enormous impact on the success of this project.

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AUTHENTICITY DECLARATION Declaration and Statement of Authorship

1. I hold a copy of this work which can be produced if the original is lost/damaged.

2. This work is my original work and no part of it has been copied from any other student’s work or from any other source except where due acknowledgement is made.

3. No part of this work has been written for me by any other person except where such collaboration has been authorised by the lecturer/teacher concerned.

4. I have not previously submitted this work for this or any other course/unit.

5. I give permission for this work to be reproduced, communicated, compared and archived for the purpose of detecting plagiarism.

6. I give permission for a copy of my marked work to be retained by the school for review and comparison, including review by external examiners.

I understand that: 7. Plagiarism is the presentation of the work, idea or creation of another person as though it is my own. It is a form of cheating and is a very serious academic offence that may lead to exclusion from the University. Plagiarised material can be drawn from, and presented in, written, graphic and visual form, including electronic data and oral presentations. Plagiarism occurs when the origin of the material used is not appropriately cited.

8. Plagiarism includes the act of assisting or allowing another person to plagiarise or to copy my work.

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ABSTRACT

Taller is a storage unit whose context is framed around my current practice as a cabinet maker and my design direction as a student. As such, this project’s field has been developed in tandem with my personal experiences in the cabinet making and design industries. Taller is designed for small-space living within a rental environment.

It addresses storage as lived space, the concept of “home” in a transitional environment, modularity and disassembly. Developed through a series of prototyping techniques and within the Building Commission’s zoned, small-space living standards1, Taller is a versatile unit designed and built in response to the shrinking inner-city dwellings of Melbourne2 and the soaring prices of the property market3. Focusing on longevity and vertical storage, Taller’s simplicity lends itself to bridge the gap between designer and user by allowing the user to better design the space that they inhabit.

In 2010, I embarked on my journey as an Industrial Design student, eight years later I am finally nearing the end of it. This project is a highly personal one that epitomises my experience, methods and understanding of my place within Industrial Design and its applications. Taller is, at it’s heart, a piece of storage furniture that encapsulates my modus operandi. As a career cabinet maker with design aspirations, Taller succinctly demonstrates my design context and methodology. This project is the amalgamation of my design trajectory and my career.

The State of Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning.

(2016).

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2

CommSec. (2017).

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Bleby, M. (2017).

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CONTENTS

Introduction

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Design Development

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Methods of Testing, Evaluation and Validation

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Design Outcome

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Conclusion

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References

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PROJECT INTRODUCTION Intent and Context

When I began Industrial Design, my hands-on skills were basic. I relied on service design to show-case my talents for theory, ideation and design development. However, I was drawn to a skills-based approach within design. I attempted to expand my skill-set through a series of diverse design projects, often failing to cultivate new skills and relying on past performance to complete the outcome. I held the belief that if you could not design and engineer every detail of the project, you were no designer. In short, I dismissed the value of a design concept and the means through which to see it through. This belief has shadowed my design journey since I began, especially in the timber-crafting department.

So, in early 2014, I deferred from RMIT and completed my Cert II in Cabinet Making, finally acknowledging my perceived disadvantage. Since 2014, I have contracted as a designer, a cabinet maker, a project manger in the exhibition industry and as a skilled labourer. My context has expanded, shifted and reduced to culminate in a particular resolution that is unique only to me. My belief systems and design intentions have changed in response to my experience, I feel compelled to acknowledge this journey and complete what I started eight years ago. This is only possible through understanding my limitations of time, skills and resources.

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In 2018, Taller is not just the design outcome of an RMIT student, it is the celebration that comes with the clarity of one’s own design intent and practice.

Part One of my honours project was completed in 2013, when my field of practice was largely theoretical and contained within an idealistic environment where exhibition inspires change. Fifty was a response to urban Melbourne’s consumption culture in relation to the environmental crisis that continues to affect the Australian energy economy.

Intended to spark renewed dialogue on the subject, Fifty was a pedal-powered set of products designed to explore the way we think about energy and energy reduction through a 50-year future scenario. Since Part One’s completion, my design trajectory has changed. I want to focus on what’s possible for myself as a cabinet maker and designer, and Fifty does not sit within this context.

My design values now sit closer to a material space, where functionality and beauty can be created by harnessing available resources and my acquired skills to foster projects that inspire creativity in both designer and user.

Taller functions as a product whose materials are wellunderstood: metal fittings, seasoned timber and structural board. These materials are easily prototyped and help me to further refine my design through material parameters and restraints.

Taller as a product of material understanding and processes within cabinet making.

Taller as response to personal client experience and identified issues.

Taller as the first piece of my realised design intent.

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Dog day afternoon at the factory.

cabinetmaker noun a skilled joiner who makes furniture or similar highquality woodwork.4

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Cabinetmaker. (Def. 1). (n.d.)

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“With transformations in digital technologies and housing-price pressures changing living habits, people will not only possess fewer physical objects in the future, but new apartment dwellers will be more likely to occupy less space at a later age5.�

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Moore, T. (2016).

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DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Introduction

Taller emerged out of my continuing experience as a cabinet maker, my personal appreciation of lived space and Melbourne’s rental environment. As a cabinet maker, I have been inside many homes and we are constantly tasked with maximising storage space. As a renter, I have had consistently limited storage, and as a designer, I lament that IKEA is one of the only suppliers of financially accessible, aesthetically-pleasing storage units. I was propelled by a desire to see more storage that could be available to renters, i.e., not in need of permanent fixing to walls, as well a way to make a renter feel at home. What does home feel like?

Why does storage that is fixed, feel more like home? I inferred that home is the sum of ourselves physically and that fixed storage is often designed and modified for a space instead of the one-size fits all for common IKEA storage furniture. Often, because our spaces have limited storage, we hide as much as we can, because standardised boxes don’t allow for display, it is closed storage. With the limited room we have already, we are not focussed on adding furniture simply for “display”, and the idea of a home is then perhaps reserved for property purchase. How can storage be functional and also allow us to live and own our space?

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I became fascinated with vertical space. Our room sizes are shrinking6, we’re sharehousing7 and yet we’re not using the available space above our heads that is left otherwise unused. Wasn’t overhead space ideal for objects irregularly used? Camping gear, winter blankets, a musical instrument from childhood or a toolbox; these things are occasionally useful or sentimental, yet are difficult to store without eating into linen closet or the walk-in robe. What could additional storage look like that could cater for these things as well as increase one’s sense of self and home? This unit would need to be modular, it would need to allow for displayed objects, it would need to allow for miscellany, it would need to be designed with a rental environment in mind.

The rental parameters on this idea would require the product to disassemble, travel easily and be sturdy enough to stand alone in any orientation. I thought about my own experiences when renting, what I wanted in my room. It was always a way of personalising my space while keeping it functional.

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CommSec. (2017).

Tietz, C. (2017).

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Post, R. (2014).

“Another trend on view at Dwell on Design was decor in vertical layers to help use every inch of available space from floor to ceiling. A sleeping layer might include a platform bed with a desk or closet space underneath, for example.

The living space layer could host an elevated couch or lounge as well as small kitchen8.�

Displayed belongings as projected personality.

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Considering at functional surfaces and different storage ideas. Initial carcass idea as a trunk.

(From left to right) How drawers might be considered.

Storage needs scenario with vertical storage idea.

Potential pegboard incorporation.

Stacking idea and compartment for posts, thinking.

(From left to right) Considering post connection outer steel section.

Modular thinking.

(From left to right)

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Detail on rail fixing with bolts for hand tightening, fixing with the top shelf Shelf drawer requiring no runners

Shelf ideation with rebates or locators.

I started by sketching ideal scenarios of hanging plants, books and miscellany on shelves, where whimsy sat squarely in the limelight and I could dream of a way where a products puts design in the user’s hands. How could modularity help achieve this? How could I add furniture to a room without making it feel claustrophobic?

I started looking for case studies of specific design for small spaces. I was drawn to open structures with small details that encouraged user engagement. Peg boards that allowed users to choose where shelves might sit, narrow lighted spaces to encouraged small miscellany to be displayed, incorporated picture frames, pull-down tables and hidden functional, storage; these elements and ideas excited me, where were these products in the current rental market? These products came alive when users engaged with them.

So what did the Melbourne rental environment look like? I narrowed my focus into inner-city living and drew on governmental standards for apartments and storage9.

As my intended product wasn’t replacing mandatory, fixed units, I could use existing storage in homes as a guide for what was available to users and what wasn’t. I was focused on utilising vertical space, so my research started there. The minimum ceiling height for apartments is 2.7m10. As a cabinet maker, we often work to pallet sizes, and pallet sizes work to transport. Pallets are generally 1.2m x 1.2m, and a double pallet is 2.4m x 1.2m. This is also the standard size of cabinet making materials. If Taller was to be suited for moving home, Melbourne apartments, and myself to design it, it would need to adhere to all these parameters.

Sketching out how I might design Taller, I knew that there needed to be both vertical and horizontal elements and that I wanted the user to have some control over the configuration. I was enamoured with the idea of “add-ons”, or elements that could be attached to the unit to tailor Taller to individual needs such as a hook to hang a bike, a lamp, a way to display polaroids or a space for pot plants. The problem with this was that I had not yet resolved how Taller would be constructed, or indeed, the basic structure for the unit. Having committed to designing a unit for renters, the structure needed to be strong enough to handle weight on the additional shelves about the carcass.

The State of Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning. (2016).

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Ibid

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I began thinking about a simplified structure, I would be using posts for the vertical structure, and considered them in steel section, nestled within a larger section that it would sit into. But as I continued trying to resolve how I would work with steel and timber, it became apparent that steel was going to be heavy for the user, difficult to alter and would require me to learn how to weld or outsource the whole element. The materiality took me back to thinking about the posts. They’re unwieldy in transport in their own, but as a ladder structure? It solved my stability problem as well as my transporting-posts problem. Why did they need to be steel? I realised it was because of my experience with timber, screws taken in and out of a unit over time eventually become threaded. As a product designed to travel with a renter, this was not ideal.

I also knew that I didn’t want to require the user to keep specific tools for the construction around.

To attempt to solve this, I made a simple prototype with M8 bolts and hypothesized that I could use the nut as a locator and outer metal insert to pinch the dowel that the shelves would sit on into place. But after testing this, I found that if the user applied too much pressure, i.e., kept screwing the bolt after hitting the timber dowel, the nut was forced out of the timber. Unless the nut sat internal to the post, there was no way to securely use a nut as an insert. Work-shopping this provided a much better solution for keeping the distance consistent between posts. I would screw through the dowel and put the nut into the dowel. Without an industrial drill press, prototyping this was difficult and made a professional out come for the dowels tough to envisage.

However, once I prototyped this at work with the correct machines, the element worked well and provided excellent structural support. The hexagonal shape of the nut still felt rudimentary, but I hadn’t considered metal inserts. I could maintain the integrity of the timber by using threaded inserts for bolt screws. Now Taller was much lighter, more stable and considerably better equipped for disassembly.

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Considering carcass construction through model making.

How storage compartments might sit.

(From left to right) Looking at including fascia for drawers.

Structure height exploration. My initial idea of 2.4m was too high and my 300mm width, too small.

Considering post support, looking at working with modular spacing.

Carcass internal and looking at construction and fascia.

Considering higher carcass.

Looking at ratios.

Thinking about securing the posts through top shelf and making two ladders.

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Prototyping with nuts and bolts to think through materiality and solutions for disassembly.

Featuring melamine board, treated one and 16mm pine dowel.

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Initial structure CAD mock up with steel section posts.

According to the 2017 national land survey (State of the Land) report from the UDIA, the strong trend over the last decade for smaller block sizes continues. The survey found that in 2016, Australia’s national median lot size decreased by over 10% in only two years.

At the same time, lot prices have increased; the national median price per sqm ($602) in 2016 was 20% higher than only two years earlier.11 11

Ironfish. (2017).

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Securing posts together with ladder strut informed design to change to ladder. Easier to carry.

(From left to right) Looking at using locators to secure shelves.

Rebating the posts to sit the nut flush with the material.

(From left to right) Result after drilling through dowel instead.

Hook accessory tested in shelf locators.

Initial idea for bolt pressure fit.

(From left to right) Locator and dowel fit.

Drilled posts for dowels and bolt screws with inset nuts.

(From left to right)

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View of shelf with dowel and accessory hooks.

Spacing of 300mm shelf functionality.

Close up of locator accessory hooks.

As a factor of 1200mm, I decided to work with 300mm as my standard unit of modularity. This way, I would be able to add elements with this ratio in mind. In theory, this was very promising until I started looking at how small a 300mm cube was. A 300mm shelf would not accommodate enough objects to be functional, not only that, but if the carcass was 300mm wide by 300mm deep, the internal drawers would end up being even smaller. I started conceptualising the design through model making and found that designing a product and connections that could extend in two directions was going to require a level of complexity that would leave limited time to focus on any other part of the design, so I limited the modularity to a single direction.

As soon as this was decided, I realised that the width and depth of Taller’s carcass did not need to be a factor of 1200mm. Knowing that the carcass would come ready made and the uprights would be attached, I did not want to make the carcass too big, but I knew it would need to be wide enough for functionality. I settled on 450mm for the depth and breadth. This is a common drawer unit size, and would provide a more sturdy and useful base for Taller. Ultimately, Taller’s width was changed again after being restricted by material availability. I wanted to use recycled Victorian Ash hardwood laminate for the shelves and could only buy 475mm wide lengths. For ease of making, the carcass was resized again to accommodate for the material.

Full scale prototyping then began. I made a 1:1 prototype of Taller and started working through the elements, confirming hypotheses and testing usability. Taller had become wider by considering functionality, shorter by considering structural strength and cleaner by prototyping different ways to connect the upright posts. The whimsical elements and finishings could now be assessed. In the top drawer, I created an insert for miscellany. A closed storage shelf was able to sit on dowels, and in addition to the simple shelves and I added small threaded inserts into the shelf locators for added hanging functionality.

Taller was a long iterative process that was constantly updated and improved by testing hypotheses and using prototyping failures to problem-solve a better outcome.

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The design process, at its best, integrates the aspirations of art, science, and culture.

-Jeff Smith

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Post rebate note taking with special measurements for electric saw fence.

(Clockwise from left) Routing out the top of the posts after being cut on the saw.

Hidden bolts secure the posts around carcass.

Drawing out base 1:1 to clarify post rebates for material thickness and threaded inserts.

Posts after being cut on saw. MDF packers secure the material for routing.

(From left to right) Cutting the rebates on teh posts on table saw.

Hidden bolt screws into metal timber insert thread on post.

(From left to right) Base cut out to accomodate and locate posts.

Using the jigsaw to cut out the 5mm radii left in the CNC machined corners.

Testing cutouts..

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Orientation Exploration

Now, more than ever, we need to start rethinking the way we consider space and how we c an maximise its efficiency.

“In recent years a key trend in Australia has been the increasing number of apartments being built.

Seven years ago around 27 per cent of homes built were apartments.

Today, apartments account for almost half (47 per cent) of all homes built.

And the increased number of apartments being built has served to reduce the size of the average home in Australia.12�

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12

CommSec. (2017).

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Second prototype for accurate measurements and further testing and problem solving.

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On location sketch in Sperlonga, Italy

METHODS OF TESTING, EVALUATION AND VALIDATION On Poetry

When I hear the words “fearful symmetry”, I think of Blake’s tiger brightly surrounded by the idea of the concept of visual symmetry. The words are alive in my mind and visual language. Poetry has long been a part of my dialogue, that both inspires and directs me.

There is a romance in poetry that informs a particular way of thinking, that allows me to think of design as not just a function of need or want, but as an evocation of emotion. Poetry exists in everyday language and so, has the capacity to become a function of design.

As words can create and direct my design in this way, they become an integral part of my conceptualisation process. This grounding in language drives my methods by informing the nuances and details that evoke a poetic response. These responses can be created through material choice, with their perceived value, memory and tactility. The details in the finishing of materials can evoke a response; smooth, sharp, curvaceous. How materials meet is also very evocative, and again can be driven by an overarching direction from written language. Not only materiality, but form can be viewed through poetry: Brutalism through the Beat poets, Abstract through Cummings and Gothic through Plath. With Taller, I have a chosen timber as the main material. The structural integrity of Vic Ash along with the warmth it evokes creates a sense of homeliness the same way that seeing a lit hearth evokes feelings of home in a intrinsic sense. Materiality can convey meaning simply through shared visual language. Not

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just timber, but Taller uses metal inserts and bolts to finish it’s construction. The flushness of the inserts and clarity of the metal thread feels strong, safe and underpins the security of the home. The perfect way that the bolt finds the thread through the warmth of the timber itself is a one of the small details that poetry has driven for me.

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When I begin to conceive of ideas, I find that poetry helps to drive the way in which I think about the design. In this sense, Taller’s poetry is about evoking the individual’s own idea of poetry, or broadly, their inspiration. When we see lived space, we are emotionally influenced by the choices of objects that we see, by the occupant’s lives displayed in material choice. How might this drive a greater picture of the individual?

How might we access a way in which we can create a narrative around someone’s life in a poetic way? In each object that we choose to nurture or keep or store, there is a story behind why it is kept. In providing a way to display these objects on a lived space, we invite the user to consider their own narrative in terms of their own living space. In this sense, the driving force behind Taller is not only a necessity behind the shrinking sizes of dwelling, but an opportunity to create meaning through a visual language, inspired by the romance of poetry.

“A man’s bookcase will tell you everything you’ll ever need to know about him.13” 13

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Simonds, M. (2017).

Mosley, W. (2010).

“My books are my brain and my heart made visible.14”

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METHODS OF TESTING, EVALUATION AND VALIDATION On Drawing

In my pursuit of design conceptualisation and understanding not only of external form, but of myself, I use drawing to explore meaning. The way that I interpret my environment is as much a part of my design process as it is a part of myself. I find inspiration through romanticising a scene through watercolours.

Sketching and painting are ways for me to imagine possibilities and to think. I can actualise a space in an idealistic way, and attempt to find what a design can be. Sketching and drawing are a much a part of my language as poetry is. It is, for me, visual poetry. When I paint, I am able to interpret the world around me through different lenses. I can omit, add and alter the way that something might be construed. Sketching provides a way for me to visualise the emotive content of a design and to fantasise about it’s impact in an artistic sense. I am an artist in this regard, as much as I am designer - finding the beauty in necessity and attempting to design a product through both lenses; that of what may be in an ideal world and what may be in reality.

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With Taller, I sketched the way I thought of how the form and materials came together. The sketching process for me, was as much a way to think simply about the product, as it was to find the artistry in the project.

Sketching the elements and the scenarios of Taller allowed me to find the parts of the project that would hold the most significance for myself and for the aim

“Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks.15�

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Plutarch. (1936).

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of the project. Thinking of Taller in an artistic way, of how it might inhabit space and create an environment that allows the user to celebrate their own objects, was borne out of sketches devoid of engineered thinking.

This meant that Taller could be based on visual poetry, emotion, and the opportunity to create an ideal space for the user, as opposed to working from existing concepts and attempting to improve them. Both poetry and sketching are the ways in which I find meaning in my designs, where I find my passion for them and what drives my inspiration.

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METHODS OF TESTING, EVALUATION AND VALIDATION On Model Making

Finally, model making is where I start to think physically. Often, the reality of a product sets in here and parameters based on conceiving of construction and physical problems that need solving are identified.

I began model making on a 1:5 scale with Taller, using a timber dowel grid to identify how elements might relate to each other. My initial model had me frustrated, I spent hours using the model making pieces to try to achieve clarity on the way that I would construct Taller, but kept hitting dead ends. What model making did help me resolve was the scope of the project. Initially, I had imagined that Taller could expand on both the x and y axis, but after working through this process, I realised that the design would need to be extremely technical for this to be possible. Taller needed to be assembled easily by the user, if I couldn’t conceptualise how to put the elements together, it was likely that the final construction would be very complex and that the time dedicated to designing the connections would detract from other important areas of designing Taller, such as prototyping and designing finishings. So, pursuing workable parameters, Taller would instead, extend along a single axis and the height would be reduced to strengthen the design and reduce the risk of it being top heavy.

Now that I had clarity on what the design was, 1:1 prototyping could begin. I discussed building a prototype with my colleague who has over 20 years

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experience in cabinet making and joinery and we decided to begin with the carcass. We would establish how best to connect the uprights to the carcass and the best way to construct drawers that could run both ways, i.e. reducing Taller’s limitations in the user’s environment. The first step was drawing out the base of the carcass 1:1 to determine internal sizes, rebates and best material thickness. We worked to standard thicknesses based on my material sourcing; 30mm Vic Ash shelving, 45mm hardwood posts, 16mm hardwood dowel and 19mm Tasmanian Ash veneer board. Taller’s prototype used pine uprights, an 18mm MDF carcass and 16mm pine dowel.

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Next was clarifying some of the technical production aspects. My colleague showed me a way to rebate the outer panels so that we could create an internalised base that didn’t show the veneer board’s MDF interior on the panel saw, a technique that I was unaware of.

Consulting my colleague has definitely been one of the greatest experiences I’ve had when designing. To have expert knowledge from specific fields applied to your design helps to elevate what the product could be, and in Taller’s case, create a much cleaner connection with the uprights. Making a fully working prototype has been one of the best ways for me to understand and improve my design.

Working through Taller’s as a project has helped me more clearly realise my personal design process. I need to romanticise the concept through poetry and imagery to become attached to it. To move forward, modelling allows me to understand the restrictions of not just physics and materiality, but my capability for a given time frame. Finally, it is imperative for me to create a fully working prototype. This prototype allows me to understand the technical details and improve where I can. However, once the prototype is complete, it allows me to re-enter the conceptual thinking space; I am able to return to the romance behind the design and reconsider different aspects of whimsy that can now be easily constructed around, or integrated into, the design.

It’s very exciting to establish a design, however I have found that it has been even more rewarding to establish my design method.

With Taller, language and art inspired what the project could be, model-making helped reduce the concept to a realistic structure and prototyping 1:1 allowed me to start reconsidering what else Taller could be.

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DESIGN OUTCOME Introduction

Taller’s outcome is that of function and it’s relevance to its audience. It is designed for inner-city renting as additional functional storage that can be easily disassembled and transported. Not only simple in its approach, so as to accommodate assembly and user, but well made with quality materials and built to last.

Taller, fully assembled, reaches a height of 2.1m with three 2-way drawers and 5 optional shelves. Taller can also be modular horizontally, allowing for a second unit to connect to the first using custom hardwood rails. Taller encourages the user to express themselves through open storage and lived space, creating an inspiring space for themselves and garnering a feeling of home.

Taller has five major elements: The carcass, the ladder posts, the shelving units, the rails and the fixings.

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DESIGN OUTCOME Carcass

Material: Tasmanian Ash Veneer DGB MDF Board, Tasmanian Oak Edge Tape, Spotted Gum Runners, 50mm Screws Taller’s carcass is made from an MDF veneer board for structure, consistency and weight. As the carcass provides the guide for the ladder posts, it’s straightness and integrity were paramount. Therefore, this was the most viable material to use as it would provide a constant thickness and flatness. The carcass has an inset base, and the ends (sides) are rebated for a 5mm overhang to cover the inner MDF material on the bottom. It’s exposed edges are edged with Tasmanian Oak veneer edging. Three rails run either side of the inside of the carcass for the two-way drawers, made out of spotted gum, while the drawers themselves are constructed out of the veneer board. As the carcass needed to have corner cut-outs, it was cut on a 3-axis CNC machine. The cut-outs allow the ladder posts to fit within the corners of the carcass, enabling the posts to be flush with the drawer fronts and easily locate with the screw bolts. The veneer is finished with a water-based wash and timber oil.

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DESIGN OUTCOME Shelving

Material: (475mm x 475mm x 30mm) and (475mm x 800mm x 30mm) Victorian Ash shelves, 20mm x 10mm Spotted Gum locators, Tasmanian Ash Veneer DGB MDF Board, Tasmanian Oak Edge Tape, M4 metal inserts, M4 hanging hooks The shelves are one of the most handled aspect of Taller, and so needed to be a quality material. Victorian Ash has a dense grain and machines well. The Victorian Ash availability determined the width of the shelves, ultimately sitting at 475mm wide. All the edges of the shelves are chamfered and arrised for touch and safety.

The shelves come in two widths for the current two different modular arrangements. Additional options such as simple drawers are available to come with Taller, and these are made out of the veneer board. The shelves are located over the rails with a rebate and with locator strips. The strips allow for added functionality by including inserts for hooks to hang objects. The separate shelves allow the user to choose where they want them placed, and at what height. The shelves work at all five heights of Taller.

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DESIGN OUTCOME Ladder Posts

Material: 45mm x 45mm x 2100 Spotted Gum posts, Metal 13mm M8 Timber Inserts

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The initial choice of steel section posts was to guarantee the straightness of the material. Ultimately, steel was going to be too heavy and unwieldy. It meant that for a ladder structure, it would need to be welded and the weight combined with the harshness of the material was not going to work well with the intended “warmth� of Taller. Machined, recycled Spotted Gum fit the bill, it was straight and consistent. Four posts per unit were chosen by how well they sat with each other to account for any small bows in the timber, and this then solved the concern of straightness. After looking at simply attaching the posts to the side of the carcass, it became apparent that it was going to feel quite bulky and locating the ladder posts to the side of the carcass might be difficult. To mitigate this, the posts were rebated up to the 600mm height around the carcass. This also meant that the fastening could happen on the internal side of Taller, which provided a much sleeker look.

After rebating the posts, the carcass was drilled through to the posts at 60mm from top and bottom. The posts were then fitted with timber inserts so that an M8 screw bolt could be screwed in by hand through the two elements. The internal ladder sections were made from the same timber for aesthetic and strength reasons. As the rungs were very solid, only three connections were necessary for the ladder, reducing material needs and weight.

DESIGN OUTCOME Rails

Material: Hardwood Dowel, 13mm M6 timber inserts The first simple prototype for the rails used 16mm pine, this in itself worked well, but after considering potential weight that was to be added onto the shelves, a hardwood rail was found to be better suited for the function. The dowel sits at 485mm x 16mm for a single unit and 1850mm x 16mm for a double unit. The amount of rails is chosen by the user, but is intended for the 2100mm and 1800mm post height holes to utilise overhead space. The dowel is drill pressed with an with a 7mm hole for M6 inserts. These inserts easily locate through the posts and are hand screwed and tightened with wing bolts. The spaced inserts in the dowel ensure that the unit shelving is exact and doesn’t allow for user error.

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DESIGN OUTCOME Fixings and Inserts

Material: M8 25mm Phillips Head Bolt Screws, M6 Wing Nut Screws Taller is based in the rental context. Therefore, it had to be easily assembled and disassembled, and it needed to travel well. The way that it was fixed together, was paramount to its structure. Experience from IKEA products demonstrates that screws into particle board, MDF and timber have a limited lifespan, as continued use of these screws causes the material to wear and the screws to spin, or lose their hold. Taller’s construction would need to be sturdier. With this as a requirement, the idea of bolts and nuts emerged. Timber inserts are metal that have a thread on both the outside and inside allowing them to be screwed in with a Allen key or security bit with a chosen thread on the inside; M4, M6, M8. The fixings provide a solution to using timber with a durable way to secure and release attachments. Taller features 8 M8 screw bolts for the carcass and 2 M6 wing nuts for each rail, or 4 for a double rail.

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DESIGN OUTCOME Assembly

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“Design is where science and art break even.�

-Robin Mathew

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CONCLUSION

Taller has been the culmination of my years at RMIT and my external experience in between. The process as much as the outcome is indicative to the way that I approach and apply myself to design projects. Taller has identified what I am capable of and areas that I struggle with, but more than anything, Taller is the result of my self-directed journey to discover my future practice. In this regard, this project, while sitting within my student and practical context, is a function of my knowledge, my process development, my resources and my time.

When approaching a design, or conceiving of one, what I already know is a large factor to deciding direction. I like to build on this knowledge. Taller sits within a space where I am able to comprehend initial steps and gather information from sources that I am already aware of.

My projects and experience over the course of my time at RMIT were able to help me narrow my focus into an achievable outcome. My experience in cabinet making allowed me to expand from theoretical design into physical design.

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I have found that I struggle when I cannot immediately see how an idea can be fabricated, and this is a net that I often get caught in. With Taller, I had giant notions of modularity, but my maker knowledge inhibited my ability to fully realise the extent of what I initially wanted to achieve. Consequently, my understanding aided me to produce a viable outcome, but also reduced

the capability of Taller. Understanding this about myself indicates that I can achieve more when I collaborate with people who are highly skilled in areas of interest to a given project. When I started discussing my ideas with a cabinet making colleague of mine, finer details and new making techniques allowed Taller to evolve.

Taller also revealed my development process with clarity, where I excel and where I become stuck. I often will find the most likely solution to a design problem and stick with it, without exploring alternatives. I was able to fully romanticise the project and dream about its capabilities, but without sketching in tandem, I came to a point where I was unable to conceptualise how these ideas might work physically. With this insight, I believe my drawing process of Taller should have begun earlier, where I had the time to explore all the facets of what the project could be, instead of settling for my initial idea. In this way, I am aware that drawing is a large part of my developmental process. I need to value this exploration more and attribute it more time in the project development.

When I began model-making, all of the beliefs I had about how I would construct Taller shifted. Model making was both an extremely valuable and frustrating exercise. I became completely stuck, unable to move forward or rethink the concept. Creating 1:5 models was an infuriating process where material thickness

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and attachments couldn’t be properly thoughtthrough, but was also valuable in highlighting very basic structural ideas that were not going to work, for example, my initial idea of how I might make a trunk with an internal carcass or my initial plan for a 2.4m high structure. In short, model making helped me realise that I needed to completely re-think how I was conceptualising Taller physically. Much the same as sketching, 3-D actualisation of an idea is so necessary to my comprehension of a design that I know now I need to give it more value regarding my process.

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Once I arrived at 1:1 making, I began to fully understand the project. I made two prototypes of Taller before the final, this was something that was extremely beneficial and provided a solid timetable for finishing the final product. Methods of construction and fixing were resolved as well as identifying quicker ways to achieve the results, for example, using the CNC machine to cut my carcass after the dimensions were confirmed. Working with my hands externally to RMIT has given me the confidence to work physically and with prototypes. This is a major factor in my design process and a big contributor to whether my project will be successful or not.

With every project, resources have a huge part to play.

The main resources for Taller were material availability for prototyping, manufacturing availability, and cost.

Given that I was working three days a week at the factory, it made sense to fabricate Taller there as well. I could order materials to my workplace and use machines that I was both knowledgeable and comfortable with.

This arrangement allowed me to use various offcut materials to prototype ideas. As a result, much of Taller was based on material and item standards used in cabinet making, such as minimum depths and widths, veneer board for the carcass and using edge tape. Taller’s construction was also founded on how it was going to be executed. The panel saw could rebate, accurately rip and dock material, the CNC could cut MDF, the drill press could accurately drill the dowel, and an array of power tools could do the rest. This meant that all of Taller was a function of cabinet making practices and understanding even though the design was at odds with common practice. Finance is a resource that will always need to be considered. The project was directed, in part, by what was available and financially viable. In this case, using laminate Victorian Ash from Urban Salvage instead of solid slabs of timber was more cost effective with a very similar result. And while the structural integrity of the veneer board was beneficial, the cost was also a huge factor, allowing more money to be spent on quality hardwood.

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Time was one of the largest factors that came into this project. It was difficult to come home after work and switch into student mode, the differing head-spaces were extreme - with my job I am capable, problem solving is limited to very direct approaches and I can work clearly, quickly and effectively. With Taller, there was constant complex problem solving and all were foreign problems. When I’m at work, I don’t have time to think about anything else, everything requires full concentration… or one might lose a finger. So, when I arrived home, to achieve extensive progress was very difficult. The best time for development was on the weekend and my one free day. But this didn’t allow for any downtime, so my learning here is to frame the problem with time in mind. I managed to do this, but perhaps too late in the project’s development as I had committed to the final outcome already. In hindsight, a better way to manage my time would have been to limit my study to certain hours per day so that I wouldn’t feel overwhelmed, but so that I might also make progress.

I believe, as a designer, time management is my biggest issue. However, now identified, I can put systems in place to help maximise the time that I have available to me.

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This project has been very revealing and beneficial in understanding myself as a designer and also directing me towards the future that I would like to have in design. I am deeply interested in problem-solving

space issues, and I have an affinity for working with timber products. I aim to collaborate more with other professionals to help try solve problems by bringing creative ideas and my particular set of skills to the table while continually learning from those around me.

My biggest belief that has come out of my eight year journey with RMIT is the value of skill-based learning. I will continue to grow by discovering and acquiring new skills and attempting to apply them to my practice as a designer, wherever that may take me.

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REFERENCES

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CommSec. (2017, November 17). Australian home size hits 20-year low.

Retrieved from https://www.commsec.com.au/content/dam/EN/ResearchNews/ ECOReport.20.11.17_Biggest%20homes_size-fall.pdf 2

Bleby, M. (2017, November 19). Australian houses get bigger while apartments shrink.

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Cabinetmaker. (Def. 1). (n.d.) Oxford Dictionaries Online.

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Moore, T. (2016, November 24). Reinventing density: co-living, the second domestic revolution.

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6 CommSec. (2017, November 17). Australian home size hits 20-year low.

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Tietz, C. (2017, October 5). Room-sharing is on the rise in Australia’s cities — and thousands are already doing it.

Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-05/room-sharing-on-therise-in-australia/9015912 7

Post, R. (2014, April 27 Published). Are tiny houses and micro-apartments the future of urban homes?

Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/aug/25/ tiny-houses-micro-living-urban-cities-population-newyork-hongkong-tokyo.

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The State of Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning. 2016.

Better Apartments Design Standards.

Retrieved from https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_ file/0024/9582/Better-Apartments-Design-Standards.pdf 9

Ibid

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Ironfish. (2017, November 7). Smaller blocks, larger price tags: why Aussies are opting out of the big backyard.

Retrieved from http://www.ironfish.com.au/blog/2017/11/07/smaller-blockslarger-price-tags-aussies-opting-big-backyard/ 11

CommSec. (2017, November 17). Australian home size hits 20-year low.

Retrieved from https://www.commsec.com.au/content/dam/EN/ResearchNews/ ECOReport.20.11.17_Biggest%20homes_size-fall.pdf 12

Mosley, W. (2010). The Long Fall. Rearsby: Clipper Large Print.

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Simonds, M. (2017). Gutenberg’s Fingerprint: A Book Lover Bridges the Digital Divide. Toronto: ECW Press 14

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Plutarch. (1936). De gloria Atheniensium with an English Translation by Frank Cole Babbitt. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press 15

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