7.2 FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS

In order to change the bulky look of the design due to the pole, we come up with a diamond shaped exoskelet giving a lighter look for the design. However, we did not calculate the technical analysis.

OSTRA has the potential of being installed in mutiple locations. Locations with existing bollards can be identified all across the Netherlands as well as around it. It ctan provide shade to not just human beings but also giant lego blocks.

Before even applying to the Building Technology Master Track, I was most curious and excited about the Bucky Lab course. It lived up to and even exceeded my expectations; it was the perfect introduction to this advanced level of study for me, who had a background more focused on design, far from engineering field.

The transition from design to constructing our ideas, reasoning and understanding a global problem and then focusing on a specific location; how to tackle these problems and all that it entails was incredibly enriching. The course structure also seemed appropriate to me, progressing from the conceptual and individual to the constructive detail and working in a group. The collective stage was the most extensive, since our professional roles will never be isolated, learning how to help each other within the group and even with other groups is essential in professional life. At the end of every session, I always felt that I had learned something new, not only from the professors but also a lot from the group work, especially when we made mistakes. The atmosphere in the studio was never stressful, which encouraged better learning. Bucky Lab day was always expected, a time when we kind of forgot about the other courses and just focused on learning through the discussion sessions with the group. I think that is where everything gains more value after exchanging ideas, besides all our group members came from different places in the world and each one had a different perspective. However, we knew how to find a balance and enjoyed the process. The highlight was undoubtedly the building weeks, having the opportunity to work with power tools and technological tools, such as the shaper, and make reality our own designs was amazing. Definitely long and tiring days but full of learning. But after all, what I appreciate most about the course is how my group mates and I managed to mesh very well academically and personally. We knew how to support and complement each other.

Marco Daniel Aristizábal

A hands-on journey I’ll never forget! I always enjoyed being designer, but there was always something on my mind keep saying “but, how this will get constructued?”. This thought led me ended up being here, at Bucky Lab. had an amazing time with a group of people, mostly coming from architecture background, having passion about learning the technical aspects behind the design.

During each studio session, I learned something not only from our professors or groupmates but also from our colleagues. As the design weekend passes our studio was filled with many cool prototypes. During the elevator pitches, we came up together as having similar ideas but decided on choosing Shashvat’s as having a smart location. Being a part of the OSTRA team, was a great collabration. I have enjoyed their professional and personal company who have a lot of talents. Before that, I have never had the chance to team up with people coming from different countries! Collaborating with them showed me the importance of how different perspectives can lead to better results.

The building weeks were the most exciting two weeks for me. I was impressed by the number of power tools in the construction hall, which I had never worked with before. The two weeks passed quickly, a little rush but mostly fun. I was very satisfied to see three of our models finished on time. At the end of the week, I remember seeing the boys not being able to leave our prototype because it was so great to see it working!

In terms of the design, I wish we had spent more time on the aesthetic part of our design and making it more flexible and unique. We could have optimized further technical calculations to make it stiffer for external forces. However, I think the charm of our prototype is its rotational mechanism. It was very interesting and beneficial for me to learn all these mechanical systems which are hidden in our design. I remember as a group sitting in the studio thinking about “how we can turn this system efficiently”, and in the end we really did!

A special thanks to Marcel and Nadia for reminding us to have fun throughout the process, improving our knowledge every session, being available for the smallest questions, and reminding us that making mistakes can lead to better success. And of course, other special thanks to my teammates who made my Bucky Lab journey more fun. It was fun to collaborate with them! Ece Sel