Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Sustainable Product Service Systems

The brief for this assignment requires the design of a sustainable product service system that would encourage the change towards environmentally positive and socially responsible behaviours within the community. For the topic of this assignment, I have decided to focus on the the theme of community gardens, where the behaviour of people can be influenced through a social activity where they are encouraged to participate for the benefit of a community.

I decided on three concepts, each allowing users to grow their own herbs within a community environment. This not only reduces the wastage of supermarket-herbs going mouldy in the fridge, but inspires a more environmentally friendly lifestyle choice, to become more self-sufficient.


My final choice of design concept that I wish to pursue is concept three, a composting herb garden unit that would be serviced by a third party company. The target audience for this particular design are people living within high-density residential areas such as apartment blocks. The units would be placed within a communal garden area, where the users are encouraged to compost their waste through the incentive of growing their own fresh herbs. 

The centralised compositor would have holes at the base to allow for composted juices to seep into the soil of the herbs surrounding it, acting as a self-fertilising unit. The service provided with this composting unit would include general maintenance, replanting new herbs when plants diminish, managing of compost waste (for example, compost needs to be maintained at appropriate conditions for maximum breaking-down efficiency), watering of herbs etc.

This design encourages a more sustainable lifestyle, reducing the amount of waste produced within the home, while creating an element of fun and social interaction through the garden component. For many residents who live in apartments, the landscape can seem like a concrete jungle. This composting garden unit can provide users with an instant garden, where the greenery is not only aesthetically pleasing, but provides a functional aspect whereby the herbs can be used by the community for cooking. More importantly, it encourages sustainability by allowing users to become more self sufficient.

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