Tese de mestrado. Design Industrial. 2006. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto, Escola Superior de Artes e Design de Matosinhos

Tese de mestrado. Design Industrial. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2007

The project undertaken was aimed at extending a current craft based jewellery practice. Related by structure and materiality, the research sought to develop exploratory shapes as low seating objects to exist within small scale living spaces and studio apartments. Signaling an increased conscious way of thinking and working, a reflective process examining each form as series, provided an incremental creative strategy. The availability of discarded materials suggested possibilities for a sustainable cost effective option as a mode of contemporary practice. This combined approach was considered impact negative, diffusing global waste, and impact positive providing valid alternatives through functional and aesthetic objects. At present waste materials exist as products are still designed and made on the basis of planned obsolescence, thus an exploitation and escalation of global resources and resultant hazardous outcomes continues. Citing selected writings by Victor Papanek, (1992), and Edwin Datschefski, (2006) provided an understanding of the misuse high impact advanced technologies imposes on the environment. These notions were discussed during the project and in relation to contemporary models of practice which currently use discarded materials to make objects for living. Based on a survey observing the local homewares and furniture industries within Sydney, Australia, and recent published material, a niche market was discovered for challenging conventions of low seating objects. Initial sketches were transformed into marquettes then developed into full size prototypes of multi functional forms. a series of forms were scaled up, made of discarded materials using simple hand crafted processes and minimal production methods. As a reference influences included architects, sculptors and craft practitioners who were examined particularly for their use of discarded materials or for their construction methods. During experimental studies visual source material drew upon an observation and analysis of architecture, skeletal structures and land formations. In an exhibition originally titled, "Be Seated", these forms made as initial prototypes were exhibited at Kudos Gallery, Sydney, Australia, during May 2007. They were later refined and renamed as "Low Life" for a group exhibition "Contained" held at Kudos Gallery during 2008.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 205-213).

Thesis (M.S. in M.E.)--School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004. Directed by Farrokh Mistree. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 396-399).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 168-180).

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Design Effectiveness is the degree to which the design effort helps in achieving project value objectives. Because Design Effectiveness largely exists within the context of the design phase, considerations on other project phases, such as front-end development or construction management, have been excluded from this study. Practices that promote Design Effectiveness are called Design Effectiveness Practices (DEPs), and the primary aim of this research was to develop a method for identifying suitable DEPs on a given project. The research consisted of three segments. The first segment of the research consisted of an ANOVA analysis of the CII benchmarking database to analyze the effect of Design on project performance metrics. The second (and main) segment of the research was the development and validation of a Design Effectiveness Practices Selection Tool. The MS Excel[Trademark] based tool determines the priority of application of 30 different DEPs on a project given the project's desired benefits (from 11 Project Value Objectives), design phase, and unique characteristics. All the 30 DEPs were correlated with the three input parameters using Score Matrices with the aid of expert opinion. The Score Matrices produced a score for each of the input parameters, and the three scores were combined to form a Composite Index Score for each DEP. The Selection tool was also validated in a two-step process, and met the validation thresholds set out for it. The third segment of this research involved the development of a Design Effectiveness Evaluation Tool, also based on MS Excel [Trademark]. This dissertation contributes to a growing area of research by providing comprehensive, structured compilation of DEPs and also by developing a selection method to effectively recommend the most suitable DEPs. From the perspective of the industry, the results of this research (and most notably the Selection Tool), facilitate the implementation of the DEPs and should help in maximizing the potential benefits to a particular project.

Tese de mestrado. Design Industrial. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2009

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