This inspirational video is a visual treat to watch. It really speaks for itself. Enjoy, but also ponder the following as you view it!
I love to see exploration in design. Design is continually building, re-thinking, re-learning. Like inventors, you find yourself going "back to the drawing board" repeatedly. Some people see that as negative...oh, a failure...back to the drawing board. I see it as a challenge!!! Oh, a hiccup, not a failure...how can I do this a little better.
Take for instance the concrete beams researchers are developing with foam cores...the idea is to displace an expensive and exhaustable resource like concrete with a foam core to reduce weight, waste and materials. You start with an idea and have to weigh all the pros and cons while on the brainstorming journey. At times the brainstorm becomes so intense, something gets blown over in the process. Pick up the pieces and reassemble them different and you may come to a more phenominal solution. The foam core of a beam works, because the work of the beam is being done one the outer dimensions of the beam. There is a zone you can bore carefully spaced holes in, or in this case, replace it with another material. You have to carefully balance expansion, contraction and other physical properties of a material.
You also have to question whether the idea is a valid idea at all? The material may stand up to the effects of a common earthquake, but how about one that is more severe? Other questions arise. Will the core of the beam melt in a building fire? What effect will that have on the beams integrity? You explore, you test, you go back to the drawing board...in the end, the core material might change, but you've created something new, something meaningful. This is the joy and essence of true design!
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