:: Specific Design Brief

CAT 5: Using Timber Sustainably - further information

PRODUCT DESIGN UK - KEY QUESTIONS

OPEN-ENDED BRIEF – When chosen and used with care, timber can be a very low impact material to use for furniture. Design and make a piece of furniture which uses timber in a sustainable way.
SPECIFIC BRIEF – Design and make a piece of furniture using locally grown timber from a source where replanting has happened or where a tree was not cut down.
Before you begin:

Key questions
• Is the product something that people want and need?
• Will it always be wanted and needed? Is it subject to the whims of fashion? Is it economically feasible to make the product given the whims of fashion and the marketplace?
• Who would benefit the most from this product given their available income and their local environment?
• Will production (and any subsequent repair, recycling) provide work to help people earn money?

• Which raw materials will be used? Are they renewable?
• What pollution is caused by the extraction and processing of the raw materials?
• How will the product be manufactured?
• What other materials are needed in order to use the product? (eg fixings, surface paints or varnishes)
• Can the product be made locally using local skills and local materials?
• How much energy is used at different stages of the product'.............................................................................................................................................................................................................s lifecycle?
• How will the product be packaged?
• How will the product be sold / transported to the shops?
• How will the product be promoted / marketed?

• How will it be used? Will it only be used for its intended purpose? How many times will it be used before being thrown away?
• How will it be disposed of after use?
• Could it be repaired? Re-used? Re-cycled?
• Can the product be easily repaired using local materials? How many parts can go wrong? How likely are they to go wrong?
• Materials can be selected to minimise their initial environmental impact.
• The issue of balancing this against the product life can be explored – early replacement simply leads to increased environmental load.
• Structural analysis can be applied to ensure that the size of all components is appropriately minimised
• Styling needs to be explored. There is no point in extending the life of a product in a ‘technical sense’ if it simply becomes redundant in a ‘fashion sense’. For a long product life, a ‘design classic’ is the target.
 

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