SUSTAINABLE DESIGN CAPSTONE SEMINAR UNIT 4: PROTOTYPING (25 POINTS)

READINGS

Pieter Jan Stappers, “Prototypes as a Central Vein for Knowledge Development,” Prototype: Design and Craft in the 21st Century, ed. Louise Valentine (Bloomsbury Academic, 2013). PDF

Bjarki Hallgrimsson, Selected Case Studies, Prototyping and Modelmaking for Product Design (Laurence King, 2012). PDF

ASSIGNMENT

Select an object from the list below (or one of a similar scale) and create a set of design prototypes. Choose 1-3 materials to work with for this assignment, and keep those the same throughout the process. You should be focusing on form and functionality, using materials that can help you quickly test out ideas. You are encouraged to use the resources at the Siebel Center workshop which include 3D printers, laser cutters, and sewing machines.

You will have five iterations due Thursday, November 10 for a progress review. You will have an additional five iterations due Thursday, November 17 for a final exhibit with Sustainable Design faculty.

Suggested objects:

• Eating and drinking receptacles

• Kitchen goods (spice rack, salt and pepper shakers, cutting boards, etc.)

• Flower vases or plant pots

• Jewelry

• Bike locks

• Key chains

• Lamps/luminaires

• Wallets or handbags

Suggested materials:

• Recycled items from your residence

• Straws

• Pipe cleaners

• Foam

• Toothpicks

• Popsicle sticks

• Packing materials (peanuts, bubble wrap)

• Newspaper

• Textiles

• Wire mesh (like this)

• Duct tape

• Corrugated cardboard

• Chipboard (hand-cut or laser cut)

• 3D printing

Where to get materials:

• If you are building prototypes by hand, you are encouraged to use found or recycled items as much as possible.

• Model-making materials are also available for purchase at Blackline Supply, the Art Coop, and on Amazon.

• The Siebel Center also has basic materials for purchase, including spools for 3D printing.