Joiner Development

A range of joiner ideas.

Joiner materials will greatly affect the aesthetic of the design.

Possible materials

Plastic extrusion - Black/grey
Plastic extrusion - Translucent
Plastic extrusion - Brightly coloured (match with anodized aluminium)
Hard wood - Dark

Extrusions

The extrusions would need to be hollow to cut down on material cost, and weight. This could easily be done by adding hollows into the extrusion.

Connectors

Plastic connectors joining aluminium extrusions.


I like the way that they resemble puzzle pieces, this ties in nicely with the idea of self assembly.

Connectors

Having separate joiners would make the shelving much more customisable. Producing them from extruded plastic would also allow for a better fit than aluminium on aluminium.

Three sections of aluminium extrusion would be needed (extrusion mouldings are very cheap so this isn't a problem). A right angle curve, a straight section, and a short straight section.

Two plastic extrusions would also be needed. A four way connector, and a two way connector for the middle joins.

Materials

Customisation could be achieved by making the shelf a "kit set". The pieces could be slotted together so suit the users requirements.

Extruded aluminium seems a good choice for the components. It's strong, light weight, and easily form able.

The pieces could be fashioned into curves so as to keep my desired aesthetic.

Customisation

Instead of designing the shelving exactly it might be a good idea to let people custimise it. This would not only encorperate the idea of differnt sized shelves for different objects, but improve it.

Shelving

Shelving lay out concepts. Roughly based on the Chinese shelving I've been researching.

Thickness

A 1:1 scale drawing of the shelf with possible material thickness sketches along side. 25-30mm thick seems to be appropriate.

Scale

Drawing including the width and height of the final shelf.

Full Scale Sketch

A rough sketch of how big I think the shelf would be full scale. By measuring this I can begin to work out actual sizes using the proportions worked out earlier.
I settled on a 1:0.66 proportion.
Based on this and the measurement of my full scale sketch the final shelf will be 750 by 500mm.

Proportion Models

Quick models of a few proportions that I particularly liked. These were created so that I could compare the different rectangles more easily.

Proportion Exploration

Sketches exploring possible rectangular shapes for the shelving. I’m looking for an aesthetically pleasing rectangular proportion.

Where to From Here?

I want to explore the modernized shelving concept further. Perhaps ditch the integrated furniture aspect of the design and focus more on the shelving its’ self. The aesthetics will be very important, it will need to be simplified a lot and achieve some sort of balance with the shelving. Possible materials and production techniques will need to be explored in relation to the availability and cost in the Chinese market. Scale will also need to be investigated, production wise as well as living space considerations.

Concept 6 Detail

A detail of the table and one of the chairs separated from the shelving. The shelving below the chair could be used for magazine and book storage.

Concept 6

A modernized version of the rectangular shelving using curves instead of angles. Left and right units are a mirror or each other, while the centre unit is unique. I thought of incorporating a table and chairs into this shelving system as a way of storing furniture. The furniture would be incorporated in such a way that it became part of the shelf until it was needed.

Concept 5

An interpretation of the classical round Chinese shelf. This incorporates the variegated shelving idea but with elements of movement in the shelves.

The shelves slide out as solid blocks creating shelving space on top of the blocks and in the voids created. The entire unit fits together like a puzzle.

Concept 4

Exploring extruded aluminum as a shelving concept. The extrusions could be cut to any length. They slot together allowing them to be staggered and customized as desired.

Concept 3

Similar to the last concept, but solid with storage on top. The shelves will extend sideways instead. Laminated wood construction. Each shelf would nestle inside the larger one until needed.

Concept 2

The idea of expandable/stackable/customisable shelving seems like an interesting concept to explore. The ability to ship and transport the shelving when it is compacted would greatly reduce costs, and also make it easier for the user to transport and install.

The shelving could be expanded to accommodate more objects as they were acquired. The shelving would “grow” with you in a sense.

This is a simple shelving concept consisting of a series of hollow box frames that expand downward.

Concept 1

My interpretation of the traditional circular Chinese shelving.

The shelves are separated out into individual components. The shape of the individual units need to be worked on.
The spacing between them could be varied, thicker or thinner. Perhaps the spacing should be equal or double the thickness of the material.

Aesthetics

I’m considering using the traditional aesthetic for my shelving. Taking features such as the varied shelving sizes, & the combination of linear and curved

elements and integrating them into my product.
Using these elements with modern materials will create a unique aesthetic. A modernised design with Chinese influences, that will fit into the lifestyle of the people I’m designing for.

Theme

After the preliminary research I’ve decided to focus on shelving.

I’m interested in the traditional aesthetic of Chinese shelving.
The seemingly random layout of the shelves intrigues me. They differ greatly from the traditional European lay out of regimented linear shelving. The combination of large and small shelving allows for a wider variety of objects to be stored in the same shelving unit.
The combination of circular framing and linear shelving creates a nice juxtaposition of form.

The Beginning

I'm studying product design in New Zealand. We’re working on a brief to design furniture for the Chinese market. This is a collaboration with MAYDE in China

So this is going to be a blog to share my concepts and ideas. Any input would be greatly appreciated.