Product Design 09/10/23

Welcome to the Jungle House renovation in Sydney, Australia, by CplusC Architectural Workshop Welcome to The Jungle House by CplusC Architectural Workshop

Welcome to the Jungle House, CplusC Architects

"[It's] a symbolic gesture of an architecture attempting to give more than just an aesthetic," said the studio.

Welcome to the Jungle House was designed to more sustainable urban living. Although located in Sydney, Australia, it is a global model to help promote sustainable living and architecture. Created from recycled materials, it is equipped with a rooftop vegetable garden, an aquaponics system with edible fish, and solar panels along the exterior facade. The nitrogen waste-water from the pond is used to irrigate and fertilize the garden and rainwater is stored in an underground tank that filters and pumps water back up the the pond. Much of the cabinetry and furniture is made from recycled timber and steel.

This project really stood out to me as it feels very complete and full circle, everything is able to be repurposed and it is integrating nature back into a home in a city. Architecture should not be separate from the living environment and it often is in big cities. By placing them together it is a reminder and also an example for other architects. The plants also keep the air in and around the house clean. Although the initial cost is most likely quite expensive, I would like to know how much of it gets offset it the future through eating the grown items and the fish. Although not everyone can afford this at the moment, I think it should be pushed and made more known so that the people that can afford it invest or try to build more environmentally friendly homes. I want to use living and sustainable materials in my work as I go forward, no matter what it is.

Roza Janusz creates sustainable food packaging that grows like a vegetable

Edible Food Packaging, Roza Januz

The packaging is made from SCOBY, which is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. It grows without sunlight and is easy to store, as I have grown it before. This packaging can only really hold dry foods, but it can be eaten after use or composted. It is a start to creating alternatives to cling film. Januz managed to create a dextrous fabric that can be shaped and semi crumpled, where mine was thicker and broke kind of easily when sewn. Although it is not strong enough to hold heavy things, it is a start and perhaps with longer growth time, the fabric can continue getting thicker and stronger once dried.

Aurore Brard designs tableware with coloured accents for visually impaired people

See-Eat-Through, Aurore Brard

These tableware design use color blocking and color accents to help visually impaired people. People with under 30% vision cannot see shapes, but they can decipher color contrasts, and color blocking allows them to use visual clues. This interests me as design is usually meant to be seen and meant to be aesthetic, but evidently design serves another purpose to visually impaired people, it is supposed to be functional. But does that mean it can't be visually appealing and colorful to them? Perhaps by making things more visually appealing, it will become more included in day to day design, so they can have access to it everywhere. I like the hands on research Brard did, as she went to visually impaired institutes looking to see what can be improved. I feel as though inclusivity has not been something I think about often when designing, but need to think more about, in every possible way. We try to design products to make peoples lives easier, but does it make everyones life easier? And are we focusing on the wrong demographic of people?

Caroline Hardh, Vra restaurant furniture

This furniture is created from oyster shells, fish bones, and rice starch, responding to food waste at the Vra restaurant in Gothenburg. Hardh wanted to show the unexpected value in food waste to the customers, giving them something tangible made from their excess. Oyster shells are abundant around Gothenburg, and they ate mixed with dried Kombu (kelp), which are put in traditional Japanese soup stocks. The mixture us then combined by fish glue, a natural adhesive made by boiling down fish bones and starchy rice water. I have never thought to use fish bones, but in England, it would be extremely beneficial to introduce fish glue into certain markets, as fish bones constantly go to waste. When put together, the composition creates a concrete like dough that can then be poured into moulds, creating stools and chopstick holders. I love implementing sustainable design into restaurants, as they create so much food waste, and the idea of having a sustainable concrete is amazing. I have always wanted to use concrete on garments but it seemed wasteful, especially with the nature of the fashion industry.

Salvatore Spataro's Tastami chocolates are edible versions of traditional Sicilian tools

Tastami Chocolates, Salvatore Spataro

Spataro created miniature chocolate versions of traditional Sicilian farming tools and toys. It reinterprets elements of the islands traditional culture and by making it into an object of enjoyment, it reintroduces the tools into a society where they are no longer necessary. Spataro changes their function and perception into a contemporary object. Its an innovative way to keep traditions alive. In addition, he uses Modican chocolate, a speciality chocolate of Sicily that is based off an aztec recipe. It's a tribute to Italian craftsmanship and a reminder of the history. Although this piece of art does not feel as innovative and futuristic as the others, I like the concept of showing history in a new way. It also creates objects that can be eaten, instead of waste objects.

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