VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS STUDENT JOURNAL NICOLE TAN
Module 1; Ideation WEEK ONE MEASURING SPACE
EXPLORING SKIN AND BONE NICOLE TAN; 641433
VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS STUDENT JOURNAL INTRODUCTION
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Subject: Lightweight nylon kite that can be partially dismantled Materials: Nylon sheet, plastic ‘caps’, wooden rods, thread Manufacturer: Daiso Industries (Australia) Design: Lightweight skin and bone structure, triangular Evaluation: The kite is an example of a skin and bone structure which utilises tension to provide strength and stability. The ‘bone’ in this instance are the wooden rods that form a frame which the nylon ‘skin’ encloses. This is essential for the functioning of the kite as it allows for wind and air to be captured by the tensile skin which pushes the kite upwards. The string attached to the kite acts as an anchor as well as a steering mechanism for moving the kite. From the kite’s structure, we can gather that the skin and bone system is strong and stable. It is able to manipulate the air whilst using minimal materials to remain lightweight and hence is an effective design and construction system.
Description of how the object was measured: My measured drawings were done to a 1:5 scale similar to the drawings done by Ulrik Nordam of the garden chair and Claus Bech-Danielson of the office chair in ‘300 years of Industrial Design’. This method was followed because dimensions of the kite were too large to trace to fit onto a piece of paper. Thus, I used a ruler to measure the actual dimensions of the kite and its components and converted the values according to the 1:5 scale. I used the ‘backbone’ of the kite as a reference point to which the other edges were measured against to maintain the accuracy of my measurements and drawings. I also followed the drawing conventions present in the measured drawings in ‘300 years of Industrial Design’. For example, internal components of the system were represented as dotted lines whilst external edges were drawn as solid lines.
VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS STUDENT JOURNAL TASK 1.1 MEASURED DRAWINGS
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WOODEN ROD IN LATERAL DIRECTION
USE OF THREAD TO FORM A ‘POCKET’
PLASTIC CAPS WHICH HOLD EXTERNAL WOODEN ROD IN PLACE
PLASTIC CAPS
INTERNAL ROD
Elevation drawing of nylon kite (view from base of the kite)
USE OF THREAD TO AFFIX DECORATIVE RIBBONS
EXTERNAL ROD
WOODEN ROD INSIDE VERTICAL BACKBONE OF KITE
Plan drawing of nylon kite
HOLE WHERE KITE STRING GOES
DECORATIVE RIBBONS
Section of nylon kite
VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS STUDENT JOURNAL TASK 1.2 ANALYTICAL SKETCHES As ‘300 years of Industrial Design’ explains, the choice of materials is extremely significant and especially nowadays, we deal largely with cheap synthetic materials (like ones used to make this kite). However, it is also important to understand that good design involves being considerate and understanding how things are used hence I explored the concept of wind logic of the kite through the following sketches.
Analytical sketches of wind logic in relation to the kite’s structure
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