Ass2 S.micallef Workbook
Ass2 S.micallef Workbook
Ass2 S.micallef Workbook
SARAH
MICALLEF
SARAH MICALLEF
Digital Artisan
www.sarahmicallef.design
0401 311 108 | hello@sarahmicallef.design
Considering my environmental impact
What impact does your lifestyle have day-to-day? How far do you walk or drive each week? How much of
My lifestyle has a relatively low day-to-day impact on that could be by bike or walking instead?
the environment, as my upbringing on a farm setting has I drive an average of 50km each week, in order to visit
instilled consideration of my environmental footprint in my family members that live in a rural area. I live within walking
behaviors. I always store leftovers in reusable containers to distance of a train station and will frequently use trains and
minimise food wastage, utilise reusable water bottles and buses in order to conduct any travel I may need. I walk an
grow some of my own herbs, fruits and vegetables. I use average of 20km per week, often to visit friends in my local
environmentally friendly products such as fresh lemon to area and occasionally to walk to the local shopping centre.
clean, using homegrown lemons.
What other real-world impacts do specific areas of your life
How much waste and/or packaging do you generate in a have - your job; hobbies; family; background; where do you
day; a week; a month? travel for holidays and how do you get there?
Waste and packaging that I generate is mainly milk bottles The real world impacts of my background are strong,
and paper clippings from my uni studies, with an average with my cultural background placing an emphasis on the
of 6 milk bottles and 1 large garbage bag of study related negative aspects of waste. I have 2 small dogs as pets -
waste generated per week. Other waste generated includes the environment impacts of which I control by cleaning up
foil-lined food packaging, boxes and cans, an average of 1 after them on walks and keeping them securely housed as
large garbage bag per week. The majority of my recyclable to protect local flora and fauna, hand cooking their meals
waste is deposited in my backyard compost bin. using sustainably produced ingredients. When my husband
and I travel for holidays it is often overseas via plane, which
How many hours do you spend on-line/on screen? How could be altered for improved sustainability.
much power does that use and what is the source of that
power? What areas of design are you interested in? How do you
On average, I spend an estimated 11 hours per day using my spend your free-time?
home pc, the majority of which is used for study related All aspects of digital design as well as hands-on arts and
purposes. My pc and screen use 105 watts per hour, all crafts interest me. I enjoy creating pieces that are either
of which is drawn from solar power panels and the Tesla digital or reuse existing materials, to reduce waste. In my
Powerwall 2 unit recently installed in my home. In the last 12 free time I enjoy jewelery making, experimenting with DIY
months, my home used grid electricity only approx. 8% of hardware projects and home improvement projects, as well
the time. as gardening and looking for ways to fit more into my yard.
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What kind of house do you live in? Is it energy efficient - in How often do you buy new clothes/shoes/ other? Do you
many or any ways? Where do you live? mend or repair your clothes? Do you make any of your
The house I live in has solar panels and a Tesla Powerwall clothes?
2 unit installed, with energy and water efficient appliances I very rarely buy new shoes or clothes, instead using
installed. Even thought the initial outlay for these items specially formulated, natural washing powders and an
was high, the benefits are great - both in terms of reduced array of tools (lint shaver, rollers, a collection of threads,
bills and for the environment. My home is also connected polishes) in order to prolong the life of the items I do buy.
to recycled water, which is used for gardening and other I mend and repair my clothes wherever possible, keeping
outdoor maintenance tasks. I live in a suburban area with clothes that cannot be mended in order to utilise them in
a medium sized backyard which is behind a large nature repairing pieces that can be salvaged. I frequently alter my
reserve. clothes in order to refresh them, which aids in reducing the
amount of pieces I purchase.
How often do you go shopping for food? How much
processed food do you buy? How much fresh? How could design thinking and your skills/interests work
I shop for food only once a week and organise to have my with these needs and habits to find new or interesting
groceries delivered by the supermarket with which I shop. solutions to improve them sustainably?
Meals are planned in advance in order to ensure that only Design thinking and my skills/interests could work with my
what is needed is purchased in order to eliminate waste. needs and habits in order to see me formulating either a
digital or arts and crafts based solution to reuse or recycle
Estimated ratio is 85% fresh food VS 15% processed food, some of the waste I generate. The food scraps and paper
and when shopping online I specify that any fruits or clippings I generate are placed into my compost bin,
vegetables I purchase are to be provided as loose options, however
rather than options in punnets or plastic packaging, as not
only does this help to reduce my environmental footprint, I wonder what could be done to apply this same ideology
but also ensures better tasting and longer lasting produce. to waste such as milk bottles and foil-lined packaging,
taking it upon myself to responsibly reuse them, instead
Despite the action large supermarket chains have recently of simply placing them into the recycling bin and viewing
taken against plastic bags, I find that my groceries still arrive them as ‘someone else’s problem’. I find milk bottles
in these bags, which I now quickly collect and hand back fascinating and wonder what could be done to transform
to the delivery driver, or hold onto in order to reuse for these items into something that could possibly help/
household tasks. benefit the environment, and would like to challenge
myself to turn as much of my weekly recycling bin waste
as possible into useful, repurposed items.
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My environmental impact | Positive practices
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Preliminary Idea
After considering my responsibilities as a designer within the
anthropocene, I have determined that the primary driving forces
behind my practices should be respect for the environment,
deep consideration of future impacts, innovation and using
materials sustainably and boldly, to achieve maximum impact.
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Case Study One | Nevhouse
Case sourced from www.good-design.org/projects/nevhouse/
The Nevhouse comes with solutions for light, clean water and
sanitation, and is designed to withstand Category 5 winds. Over
200 Nevhouse structures are currently being utilised within
Ideas that may be adopted/adapted from the Nevhouse case Additionally, the way in which the Nevhouse is designed
study include the notion that these types of quick assembly to be quickly assembled, disassembled and can be
structures can serve as something more than simply used within a variety of locations is an idea that I would
‘emergency housing’, but can instead function as the basis like to incorporate into my design, as I believe it is this
for allowing people to grow and flourish, acting as permanent adaptability of use that makes the Nevhouse such a
structures which communities are built around, and providing beneficial innovation, displaying diversity and flexibility
value far beyond that of simply shelter. which are valuable within a rapidly changing world.
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Case Study Two | U-Dome
Case sourced from www.designboom.com/architecture/world-
shelters-u-dome/
The aims of the U-Dome are both to provide a high standard Ideas that may be adopted/adapted from the U-Dome
of shelter and to provide users with a sense of safety, security case study are those of viewing a design not as an
and stability, with World Shelters promoting the product to be overall piece, but instead viewing it as a collection
suitable as a longer-term solution rather than simply acting as of elements that may be swapped out or replaced
emergency housing. They describe this solution as ‘transitional intermittently. This could be a great solution for
housing’, providing users with dignity in a highly adaptable achieving sustainability in my own designs, functioning
environment in order to preserve cultures and communites. to prolong the life of products as long as possible.
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Case Study Three | Rohingya Tin Shelters
Case sourced from www.hrw.org/news/2018/05/23/
bangladesh-landslides-threaten-rohingya-shelters
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Living Principles Scorecard Tests
The Living Principles // Project Scorecard Worksheet www.livingprinciples.org
The Living Principles // Project Scorecard Worksheet www.livingprinciples.org
Nevhouse
Project Name
U-Dome
Implementing Solutions
Achieving Restoration
Exhibiting Leadership
Project Name
Implementing Solutions
Exploring Concepts
Achieving Restoration
Exhibiting Leadership
Exploring Concepts
Doing Nothing
Doing Nothing
This Project Scorecard Worksheet is intended to facilitate critical evaluation of design and communication efforts as they
relate to sustainability. The objective is to arrive at a “score” for each of the four integrated streams of sustainability. In This Project Scorecard Worksheet is intended to facilitate critical evaluation of design and communication efforts as they
arriving at such a score, one should account for each of the twenty one discreet principles that comprise the four streams. relate to sustainability. The objective is to arrive at a “score” for each of the four integrated streams of sustainability. In
arriving at such a score, one should account for each of the twenty one discreet principles that comprise the four streams.
EN Environment 0 1 2 3 4
EN Environment 0 1 2 3 4
EN.01 Behaviors
EN.01 Behaviors
EN.02 Creation
EN.02 Creation
EN.03 Durability
EN.03 Durability
EN.04 Disassembly
EN.04 Disassembly
EN.06 Waste
EN.06 Waste
PE People 0 1 2 3 4
PE People 0 1 2 3 4
PE.01 Impacts
PE.01 Impacts
PE.02 Conflicts
PE.02 Conflicts
PE.03 Desirability
PE.03 Desirability
PE.04 Need/Use
PE.04 Need/Use
EC Economy 0 1 2 3 4
EC Economy 0 1 2 3 4
EC.02 Metrics
EC.02 Metrics
EC.03 Benefits
EC.03 Benefits
CU Culture 0 1 2 3 4
CU Culture 0 1 2 3 4
CU.01 Visions
CU.01 Visions
CU.04 Diversity
CU.04 Diversity
110722
110722
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The Living Principles // Project Scorecard Worksheet www.livingprinciples.org
Nevhouse A sustainable, long-term solution that
EN = 23 fosters culture and community. Shipping and
PE = 20 transportation remains a concern, could this be
Rohingya Tin Shelters
Project Name
Implementing Solutions
EC = 23 done better by incorporating local materials or by
Achieving Restoration
Exhibiting Leadership
Exploring Concepts
Doing Nothing
This Project Scorecard Worksheet is intended to facilitate critical evaluation of design and communication efforts as they
relate to sustainability. The objective is to arrive at a “score” for each of the four integrated streams of sustainability. In
CU = 16 shipping recycled materials and then processing
arriving at such a score, one should account for each of the twenty one discreet principles that comprise the four streams.
82/84 at the final destination, as the panel formation
EN Environment 0 1 2 3 4
appears relatively uncomplicated? Also could be
EN.01 Behaviors
a good option to investigate how the assembly
EN.02 Creation
process could be further expedited.
EN.03 Durability
EN.04 Disassembly
CU.01 Visions
CU = 2 manufacturing centres and the rapid growth of
CU.02 Meanings & Reactions
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Additional Case Studies
1. Better Shelter - by Ikea and UNHCR
Why Ikea’s flatpack refugee shelter won design of
the year.
4. InterShelter - by InterShelter
Intershelter Portable Geodesic Dome Provides
3 5
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Research | The environment
Started in 2007, The Ponds estate encompasses over 4200
homes with approx. 12,400 people estimated to be living in the
estate once it is completed in late 2019. To date, over 700 acres
of land have been cleared in order to make way for housing
and associated amenities, including several shopping centres, 2
new train stations and various community buildings.
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Research | Additional considerations
Research resources pertaining to bird nesting -
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/
http://birdlife.org.au/
https://wildcare.org.au
https://www.wires.org.au/
The main varieties of birds nests seen within NSW are those of
using hollowed out tree trunks to nest, round exposed nests
(cup nests) and ‘cave’ style nests, which mimic the inside of
hollow out tree trunks and provide security for birds young.
Bird nests are unique to the species that construct them, with
different features of the nests serving different purposes for
the specific species.
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Upcycling Inspiration
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Gathering materials
Materials within the reserve could be incorporated into my
final design, both in order to camouflage the product from
vandals/unwanted human attention, but also to allow the
design to blend in better with the natural environment and
to reduce the likelihood of altering the behaviours of the
birds who will be using the products.
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Final Design
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This project has not only been conducted with the environment and
minimising waste in mind, but also shows a concern for the future
of those who will be using the product, combining natural and
manufactured materials to create a functional product which shows
great longevity. In designing this product I recognise the responsibility
of designers in anthropocene to use design to repair our planet, and
believe that my product will assist with this in a measurable way.
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Reference List
Angelgirlpj. (2015) Coffee Can Bird Feeder: DIY Recycle and Reuse. Retrieved from http://angelgirlpj.blogspot.
com/2015/01/coffee-can-bird-feeder-diy-recycle-and.html
Blacktown City Council. (2007) Plan of Management - The Ponds. Retrieved from https://www.blacktown.nsw.gov.au/
About-Council/Plans-policies-and-reports/Environmental-reports
Danu World. (2013) Recycled fabric bird house round. Retrieved from https://www.danuworld.com/Recycled-Fabric-
Bird-House-Round.html
Doctors Without Borders. (2018) Bangladesh - The Rohingya Refguee Camp of Kutupalong, an ever-expanding camp.
Retrieved from https://www.msf.org.au/article/project-news/bangladesh-%E2%80%93-rohingya-refugee-camp-kut-
upalong-balukhali-ever-expanding-camp
EMGN. (n.d) 20 Cleverly Repurposed Items That Will Add A Touch Of Funk To Your Home. Retrieved from http://emgn.
com/entertainment/20-cleverly-repurposed-items-that-will-add-a-touch-of-funk-to-your-home/
Fibonacci Stone. (n.d) Exo Housing Shelter - Stackable Emergency Housing, from Reaction Housing. Retrieved from
http://www.fibonaccistone.com.au/exo-shelter-stackable-emergency-reaction-housing/
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Hex House. (2015) Hex House Product Page. Retrieved from http://www.hex-house.com/
Human Rights Watch. (n.d) Bangladesh: Landslides Threaten Rohingya Shelters. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/
news/2018/05/23/bangladesh-landslides-threaten-rohingya-shelters
Inhabitat. (2012) QuickHab Is a Flat-Pack House for Emergency or Low-Income Housing. Retrieved from https://inhabi-
tat.com/quickhab-is-a-flat-pack-house-for-emergency-or-low-income-housing/quickhab-2/
Nevhouse. (2014) Shelter made from recycled materials. Retrieved from http://www.nevhouse.com/
Refugee Council USA. (2016) The 7 Largest Refugee Camps In The World. Retrieved from https://www.refugeecounci-
lusa.org/the-7-largest-refugee-camps-in-the-world/
The Guardian. (n.d) Homes for refugees: eight new designs for conflict housing. Retrieved from https://www.theguard-
ian.com/sustainable-business/2014/jul/30/refugee-shelters-new-designs-ikea-fema-military-haiti-jordan-syria-iraq
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