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Promoting a more sustainable lifestyle through encouraging people to grow…
Promoting a more sustainable lifestyle through encouraging people to grow their own food
Performance requirements
The product must be durable as it is outside
Whatever the product, it will need to withstand rain, wind, discoloration, and repeated drying and absorbing of moisture (which can lead to warping on wooden materials)
Will temperature affect wood
The product may have to be able to withstand very heavy weights that pots/soil or other heavy items will apply to it
How heavy are pots and soil so that the wood and joints are able to support all of them for an extensive amount of time.
Which joints are the strongest
Materials and components
Initial research has concluded that the best woods (if i were to use wood at all) for outdoor conditions in the UK are: Cedar, teak and cypress, but further research must be conducted. Softwood vs hardwood
I need to find out which joints are strongest to hold potential heavy items, and should I use screws instead
Should materials such as metals and plastics be incorporated into the product to make it longer lasting/more aesthetic
Sustainability
The product must be able to last a long-time so that the materials can be used fully and it is not being wasted
What can be done to make the materials more long lasting
Wood can be recycled/re-purposed if the user has no more need for the product
Scale of production
The whole project will be one-off production as it is prototype
There may be some parts of the project where components are identical, and I should use a jig to obtain this uniform shape.
Form
I will need to research what the average approximate dimensions are of an average garden
Someone with a flat balcony will have little space for the product to fit in, while someone with a house and big garden will have plenty of space for a product on the larger side.
User requirements
The product must be easy to use for all ages/abilities
The product must fit easily in all homes/apartments/allotments
What is the size of these areas?
The product must aesthetically conform with the surrounding area
What do these areas look like
Cost
Most likely this product will be sold in a garden centre or some place similar
How much should my product cost
Affordability
Profitability
Function
What functions/features could my product have that makes it different from anything else on the market
The product could have unique functions, such as the ability to fold up, so it is easier to store and distribute
The primary function is to promote a more sustainable lifestyle by making it easier for someone to grow their own food at home, thus reducing their carbon footprint by encouraging eating seasonal foods
How can this be encouraged?