project B:Design Plan

Team

You

And us:

Joost Noorden

Koen Kegel

Please use our feedback form and help us improve.

Public progress document

Follow us on Twitter: @HyberPublicNL

Our website (under construction) : www.HyperPublic.nl

HyperPublic : Theory: Home / Project B: Home

Research

Last weeks we have done a thorough research about our topic. We interviewed multiple professors about their ideas on our topic of research. We also got more information from the atoms through a discussion and a workshop. The results of these interviews and workshops, together with the old interviews are listed here
Some conclusions can be drawn from this research, which we need to take into account in order to make a proper design:

• We should find a common topic where the atoms relate to, use this as the topic for our design. Find related tools within this design.
• The tools we use in the design should be recognizable and easy to use by any user, no extra effort should have to be put into using the tool by the user, otherwise it will simple not be used.
• Use existing, standardized, software to build up your design. These are proven concepts and users can already identify with them. By merging multiple systems we can do something new.
• In order to make collaboration work, there needs to be a physical element in the design, something multiple users can relate to and interact with.
• We have to create content ourselves, translate the needs of the user (atoms) to a certain tool. We should find the tools ourselves and master them in order to make a proper translation for the atoms. We should be an added value for the users.

While trying to design a better working environment for the students and teachers, we encountered a lot of needs and challenges for our proposed adjustments to protoSPACE which we will try to put into practice.

Expenses

• changing the direction or location of the projectors and/or screens is too expensive*
• original iWeb projector screens are not sufficient for a daylight lit room, because they are translucent
• changing the ceiling is only possible underneath the wooden beams in direct line with the current lighting fixtures and can't way more than what's currently hanging from the ceiling
• creating a better lighting system with controlled LED's is too expensive*, since the current setup costed about €6000,- without installation costs and doesn't get close to our intended idea of a 'square meter lighting grid' idea with directed LED lighting.
• it's possible to use existing materials of past projects stored in the cellar Hyperbody room

_{*'Too expensive' means that we feel that we cannot realize the project before the end of the semester because there is only a small budget at Hyperbody which we can use.}

Students needs

• students like to have access to protoSPACE all day without permission
• students like to have fixed spot within protoSPACE where they can design
• students like to have fixed space at the design studio for all their models
• students like to know about fabrication models early in the design process so they can fabricate their own models without supervision

Teachers needs

• teachers like to be able to move furniture into different configurations to accomodate for discussions, interaction, presentation and separation between different activities going on at the same time
• teachers like to have the ability to change the natural daylight penetration into protoSPACE in an analog way, so not just zero or full daylight penetration
• teachers like to be talking with students instead of only talking to them
• teachers would like to create an easy way for students to start using the protoTAG system for physical objects

We used all these inputs and more to create a general zoning scheme for protoSPACE on which we will base our general design as can be seen below:

scheme for different zones in new plan for protoSPACE

Design

The design is capable of being moved and changed into different configurations according to the use of the space on the particular time.

Default: used as tribune towards screens, storage and workspaces in the back and computer controls on the beginning and end to adjust settings of protoSPACE and work with the protoTAG system

Option 1: Parts can be taken out of the construction without affecting its structural integrity

Option 2: When taken apart into multiple sections a more centralized setup can be created

Option 3: When working with the Mac computer on protoSPACE related projects, like the MAXMSP generated lighting system, this part of the tribune can be rotated to get a better overview of protoSPACE

Option 4: By making the tribunes face each other, a debate setup is created

One of the constraints of protoSPACE is the wooden CNC milled protoDECK flooring system which is still in development. Almost all of the surface is made up out of interchangeable wooden tiles. Half of these tiles have pressure sensors and lights built into them which will emit different types of light patterns in the near future.

All tiles need to be able to be taken out, so ideally our design will only rest with its legs on the fixed position 'connector tiles' (dark green triangles in drawin below) which lay in between the big changeable tiles. To do this, we have designed a system which has movable legs which most of the time can rest on these load baring 'connector tiles'. There are possibilities to place parts of the design in different configurations which might not always be able to fix only on the 'connector tiles'. At those times, it is possible to place them in line with these tiles, as is shown with the light green color below.

ProtoSPACE 3.0 with protoTRIBUNE legs placement points

 : dark green : perfect position
 : light green : ok, but tiles cannot be lifted
 : red : not allowed

Still to add:

...information on movability of four legs per 'unit' which can all move in four directions and why this is important in this design considering the protoDECK

...explain why we used especially this part of the protoDECK: curved to both sides, connection to protoSPACE if it is built up in design location (etc)