Materials & Structures

Assignment 2

Festival street furniture

for the

Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Lewis Bradley

Product Design - Year 2

40055384

INTRODUCTION

This design proposal is in response to a request for urban street furniture for a

festival the festival I have chosen to design for is the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The response being a water fountain/drinks dispenser. It is to function both as

a water fountain (initially what will get it noticed) and also dispense water to

the thirsty public and street performers. This piece of urban street furniture

could be positioned in various locations around the city, from out on the

main streets, to beer gardens, to the main venue areas - Udder belly at Bristo

Square etc.

This unit is made up of three main parts, two of them rotationally moulded,

the other a curved Perspex panel cut to size. The unit is easy to assemble and

disassemble, it is secured by its own weight of the water used within for the

fountain and also by the rain water that it collects and filters to dispense. The

water fountain is powered by solar panels which are located on the top of

the unit. This urban fountain design conforms to the British and EN standards

for ergonomics, structural loading, materials, construction and finishes. The

position of the holes given to fill up cups and bottles are at a height suitable

for people to the 95th percentile to use.

The Edinburgh fringe festival is an extremely well known arts festival and one

of the largest in the world. The festival is connected to the underbelly which

provides a unique venue, the underbelly venue is also used to hold other

annual events around the UK. The fringe’s connection with the underbelly is

what has influenced the colour scheme of the design – the purple showing its

relation to the underbelly festival and the green showing it’s environmentally

conscious.

RESEARCH – CASE STUDIES

- Road bollards are rotationally

moulded from a durable thermoplastic

polymer – they are able to withstand a

wide range of temperatures as well no

obvious weathering/ageing – no

chips, or rust.

Colours are dyed into the plastic – no

requirement for regular painting.

Bollard base plate is bolted to the

ground.

A lot lighter than previous metal

bollards therefore easier to transport,

handle and ultimately manufacture.

- Grit bins are in two main

parts – the actual bin that holds

the grit and the lid. – Both of

these parts would be rotationally

moulded using robust medium

density polypropylene with a

yellow dye.

These bins are kept outside for

their full life time – the material

used will not degrade over time

and will withstand the weathering

process for many years. Secured

by its dead load – as they can hold up to 250kg of grit salt. Two gaps either

side of the base allows it to be transported by forklift.

- Traditional British post box – made from cast iron.

The cap of of the post box is secured by bolts from the

inside. The main body is a cast iron pillar with a hinged

door and slot for mail.

Towards the bottom of the post box the cast iron pillar

has a bigger thickness to secure the post box to the

ground – no visble fixings. w

FRI

FRINGE FESTIVAL COLOURS

DESIGN DEVELOPEMENT

MATERIALS AND FINISHES

The material being used for both rotationally moulded parts of the fountain is

high density polyethylene it has a higher resistance to UV light and can

withstand high temperatures unlike low density polypropylene. The finish on

the polyethylene would be textured to avoid writing/graffiti on the surface.

The second material being used is curved transparent Perspex making the

fountain viewable by all the people of Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival. Perspex is

being used rather than glass solely due to the weight difference – Perspex

creating it a lot easier for mobility, as well as it being cheaper, and much less

fragile.

The choice to use polyethylene was made as it has a resistance to exposed

atmospheric conditions, solar radiation, high temperatures and oxygen as

well as it being the most popular material to rotationally mould.

Other common materials rotationally moulded that were considered were:

acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate, nylon, and

polypropylene.

ROTATIONAL MOULDING

Rotational moulding is the process being used for this particular design as it

easily creates the complex shape of the drinks fountain – also making it

something large possible/lightweight for transportation. It would be weighed

down by water within the body when placed at its site then drained for

mobility.

Advantages of this manufacturing process would be that it is ideal for hollow

shapes, suitable for low volume production, it’s a simple process and also

allows for cost effective production of large components.

Disadvantages would be that it is not suitable for making small, precise

components.

Sustainability Issues would be similar with most plastic processing - high

temperatures required to melt the plastic which makes the process quite

energy intensive. However it is a pressure less process. It is hard to control an

accurate wall thickness and therefore the amount of material needed.

However any failed mouldings can be melted down and used again.

Material wall thickness – 20mm due to the volume of the water coming in and

the tensile force it will exert on the sides of the body. The unit will be

positioned at various outdoor sites therefore the wall thickness should also be

substantial to allow for weathering, wear and tear as well as inevitable abuse.

ERGONOMICS

Individuals would interact with this design both visually and physically. It

initially gets your attention visually, through the colours, form and movement

of the water then physically by the way it dispenses water into your container

of choice. It also connects with people in the way it produces the water and

powers the fountain – both environmentally friendly as the drinking water is

filtered rain water and the fountain powered by the sun. This eco-friendly

aspect will attract and interest the public as more people are aspiring to

become environmentally conscious. I believe this design would be seen as

aspirational and influential, an overall successful piece of design which would

interact well with the many people that attend Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival.

The height of the front glass panel – which is used to view the fountain

through is at a height suitable for all to see, as well as the height of the holes

in the side used to dispense water. The front at a height of 0.85m, the sides at

0.45m and the water dispensing hole at 0.95m.

The ergonomics of this design have been considered and designed to the

95th percentile – the height of the hole that dispenses the water is at a height

that makes it possible for most children as well as tall adults to use with

comfort. The top and bottom heights of the Perspex are also at heights

comfortable for people to the 95th percentile – for easy viewing of the

fountain from all angles and for all people.

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

The wall thickness given to the main body of the fountain is at a thickness that

should withstand tensile stress from the force of the water pushing out. There is

a possibility however that the maximum volume is exceeded and that the

walls can no longer take the force.

Wind loads on the faces of the structure would be equalled by the structure

pushing an equal force back. It is secured in position by the weight of

sand/water within. The weight of the whole unit would be large and for the

unit to move would require a great force.

The shape of the fountain also slightly aerodynamic would help with wind

loads. The curved top was designed to catch rain – therefore no unwanted

rain load sitting compressing the unit.

COMPANY POLICY

This design proposal is in a good position regarding work ethics, sustainability,

and CO2 footprint. The designs main concentration is on being

environmentally conscious. The design is extremely efficient as the main

components are made using only two manufacturing processes – rotational

moulding, and the Perspex sheet cut and bent. The overall unit is quite large

(2.2m x 1.7m x 1m) however would not weigh much for transportation. It

dispenses filtered rain water and powers the water fountain by solar panels. It

is not required for someone to man it, as it operates by its self through the

help of natural elements – sun and rain. It would also not require regular

maintenance. The carbon footprint of the design mainly falls down in the

initial manufacturing and use of non-sustainable materials (plastics) as well as

space needed for transportation to the sites.

Another part of the company’s policy to be environmentally friendly is that

this water dispenser would not provide its own disposable cups – leaving it up

to the public to provide their own, which many people now do in their day to

day life rather than going out and buying numerous plastic bottles a day. It

encourages people to reuse bottles/cups they already have/used.

DESIGN DETAIL

COLOUR VARIENTS

- Various possible sites within the city – popular and constantly busy locations

during the festival.

DESIGN REVIEW

This design response clearly shows its design intentions through its aesthetics –

the form, colours and the site location of the design clearly shows that it is a

piece of urban street art designed specifically for the Edinburgh fringe festival

which is conveyed through its colour scheme. It also suggests that its eco-

friendly through the use of the colour green.

There is potential failure if the unit was to over flow with water – if there was a

significant rain fall and the unit wasn’t dispensing it as quick as it was filling up.

There is also possibility the walls of the fountain could burst from the force of

the water. This problem could be solved if at a certain volume there was a

mechanical door that shut over the rain catcher and diverted the water on

to the ground.

The materials chosen were appropriate due to their resistance to outdoor

conditions.

The manufacturing processes have been well chosen as the two main

components are both rotationally moulded and then certain parts cut out

allowing the two parts to work together with a constant flow of water.

The assembly of the unit would be relatively easy to put together as it consists

of two parts bolted together and the Perspex slots into the frame. The choice

of materials allows the design to have resistance to the outdoor atmosphere

as well as being relatively light weight for transportation.