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Part 2...

My final project of year 3 BA Design & Innovation with the Open University entailed designing an effective, fully-costed interactive play exhibit which encourages children visiting the National Trust's Ditchling Beacon nature reserve to want to discover the importance of sustainable living, conservation and the natural landscape. In-keeping with the brief, my interactive design necessitated minimal environmental impact and to be aimed at pre-teens. The outcome of the project was a fully-modular portable shipping container exhibition space which combined play and educational aspects in a structure that can be moved and customised to fit any outdoor space / space with limitations for permitting a permanent visitor centre (i.e space, funds, planning laws).

After careful, in-depth research into the target audience's wants and requirements, themes, materials and existing attractions, I set about drawing-up concept ideas before using numerous evaluation matrix charts to systematically and quantitatively compare them. I then went about developing the idea that proved to have the most potential in-detail, considering the fundamental aspects of the design, manufacture, build and eventual removal of the portable exhibit.

For the design's plausibility in situ, taking a holistic approach to design through consideration of material properties for production methods as well as their final prized sensory properties was necessary. It was crucial that I worked with the National Trust's branding to present a concept that was both visually, practically and ethically in-keeping with their values. As such, understanding and working to various British and European safety standards (i.e structural loads on ISO shipping containers, hazardous by-products from production techniques) was essential to the successful outcome of the project (a distinction, recognition from officials at the National Trust and the potential of turning this concept into reality).