The Republic of Everyone

“we help you bring brand, sustainability, and creativity together to make doing good, good for business”.

Mission

The republic of everyone is an design studio of interdisciplinary designers and professionals that strive to reinforce sustainability, community and design that promotes and better world. The republic of everyone works together with a range of clients from large corporations to small non-governmental organisations, only providing work that will design for a better climate and sustainable resolutions in the contemporary world.

The republic of everyone works with a number of clients involved in the conservation of the globe including the non-governmental organisation; world wildlife fund (WWF), to governments, corporations such as MIRVAC, Accor, country road, Gore-Tex, the Australian Red Cross or Veolia. Whilst the studio works nationally within Australia with a variety of clients. The studio is also international, setting up office in Mexico and England.

Fight for the Reef: Campaign for World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

‘Fight for the Reef’, was two designed campaigns over two years created to draw attention to the issues of shipping and dredging  in reef waters, bringing awareness to the affects of these human activities on the reefs. The campaign results in a petition submitted to UNESCO with over 500,000  signatures and messages of support. Through the development of concept, design and collateral, television advertisement and digital design to successfully promote a balance between development and the environment.

Design

• Video Campaign

• Collaborated with google maps underwater in creating App

• Press and Media

• Social Media

• Advertisements

• Web Design

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See it, Save it, For the Great Barrier Reef

The great barrier reef, fast becoming an environmental issue of our time, put at risk from coal megaport, shipping, dredging and climate change. The campaign maintains pressure on the Australian government to preserve the iconic sight and list it as a world heritage site. Through the collaboration of the studio, WWF, the grumpy sailor, underwater earth and google, the team creates a dynamic, motivated, and positive advertisement. The campaign introduces design collateral, collaborated with google maps underwater app to give a digital reality experience to the user to completely understand the diversity of the reefs affected. Users become interactive, being able to select areas of the reef to protect and experience.

Collaboration with Google underwater created a digital experience with users to fully experience the reef. Design collateral being cardboard underwater goggles allows users to access the Reef app, log in, select an area of the reef to view, insert the smartphone into the goggles and escape on a certain digital journey. The interesting, novel and transitional use of package design transcends boundaries of interactivity and user experience. Whilst the sustainable use of print encourages users to embark on this experience. Through the app users may also draw the line on areas of the reef to maintain, by selecting the area and becoming owners of the space marked with a profile image. The users develop and community through this digital realm, motivated greater awareness of the impacted reef because of human activity, waste and climate change.

Nonetheless through the development of design collateral, systems and campaigns the organisations involved put the Australian government on probation from UNSECO, increasing urgency to maintain and protect the reef. A resounding win for the health of the reef.

Resources

The Republic of Everyone, 2014, ‘Fight for the Reef’, The Republic of Everyone, Viewed 21st August 2016, <http://republicofeveryone.com/work/vote-for-the-reef/>.

Fight for the Reef, 2014, ‘Fight for the Reef’, Facebook, Viewed 21st August 2016, <https://www.facebook.com/FightForTheReef/>.

Felicity Wishart, 2015, ‘Fight For the Reef’, Fight for the Reef Organisation, Viewed 21st August 2016, <https://fightforthereef.org.au/>.

The Republic of Everyone, 2016, ‘WWF See it Save it for the Great Barrier Reef’, Vimeo, Viewed 21st August 2016, <https://vimeo.com/157964289>.

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Post 4 – Makers Unite

 

The topical nature of refugees and asylum seekers is rather confronting and thus is not often the subject matter of designs. Yet when designers do explore such social issues, interesting insights are to be gained. A great example of this is ‘Makers Unite’, a project that earned recognition as the top five designs in the ‘What Design Can Do Challenge’.

Makers Unite is a service design project in the sense that it organises people and infrastructure in an innovative way to deal with complex problems around refugees and asylum seekers. Whilst it has a niche focus in that it seeks to ‘design meaningful sustainable products re-using life vests’ the program connects locals and newcomers ‘to co-create inclusive and shared communities’

The idea of upcycling life vests seemed ingenious to me. It’s something that many refugees and asylum seekers depend on to save their lives and at the same time the thousands of life vests that end up onshore are a symbol of the human plight. This especially resonates with an artwork titled F-Lotus by Chinese dissident artist Ai Wei Wei where he installed life jackets in Vienna ‘as part of a continued campaign to raise awareness of the Syrian Refugee crisis’.

However what’s unique about Makers Unite is the ecosystem it creates. As evidenced in the knowledge flow diagram, people are involved in multiple levels of the project and further the feedback loop generated in this approach, allows the organisation to evolve and change perceptions overtime, a large barrier for refugees and asylum seekers.

Whilst it does not rely on many new technologies and materials, the innovative component is in the strategy and approach they have adopted. The ‘sustainist design toolkit’ refers to their sustainable practice which seeks to limit waste. More importantly however is the people they bring together, Harnessing the skills or lack of skills of locals designers and students and migrants and new comers allows for self organisation where a learning environment is created organically. While this may seem simple, this approach is valuable as giving autonomy to migrants and locals has a ten fold effect in that it develops their self confidence, diminishes their uncertainty and establishes empathy from both sides. Further to this, the profits raised support the continuity of tho project and also provide assistance to facilitate new businesses that tackle these issues. Essentially the ecosystem of Makers Unite fosters a strong community around the fragile and complex problem of diaspora.

Activism

Creating awareness through a unique campaign where life vests are used to generate type and consequently convey a message.

The Ribbons

‘Here they are… the prototypes of our first ribbons.’

This successful idea of promoting the cause through a ribbon made of life vests is one outcome of the many projects Makers Unite work on.

 Reference List,

1. Weiwei,A. 2016, ‘F-Lotus’, [online], <http://www.dezeen.com/2016/07/20/f-lotus-ai-weiwei-installation-belvedere-museum-vienna-syrian-refugees-life-jackets/&gt;.
2. Makers Unite, n.a., ‘Knowledge Flow’, [online], <http://www.makersunite.eu/&gt;
3. Makers Unite, n.a., ‘Practice’, [online], <http://www.makersunite.eu/&gt;
4. Makers Unite, n.a., ‘#Re_Vestlife’, [online], <http://www.makersunite.eu/#!#Re_Vestlife/zoom/c1dmp/dataItem-iq3i06ry&gt;.
5. Makers Unite, n.a., ‘The Ribbons’, [online], <http://www.makersunite.eu/#!The Ribbons/zoom/c1dmp/dataItem-imdo1x7f1>.

 

Post 4: 3716 Springfield, Kansas

Post 4: Identifying and collecting a design example
Christine Ye

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Studio 804, Inc. is a non-for-profit corporation made up of graduate Architecture, Design and Planning students from the University of Kansas, who are given the opportunity to experience the whole process of designing and constructing a building from the absolute beginning to finish. They focus on researching and designing innovative solutions to issues of housing and environmental sustainability, affordability and energy efficiency, while at the same time ensuring their designs fit in with the urban spaces and allow residents to live a comfortable lifestyle (Architizer n.d.). Their project, 3716 Springfield in Kansas, demonstrates an emergent practice through focusing on the groundwork of sustainable yet stylish architecture.

3716 Springfield, designed by Studio 804, Inc. (3716 Springfield: Exterior n.d.)

3716 Springfield was the first platinum LEED house built by Studio 804, Inc., with the aim of addressing the dilemmas of affordable and environmental sustainability, ‘for home-owners seeking “off-the-grid” living in terms of non-renewable energy, while benefiting from the revitalised amenities that compromise the metropolitan urban core’ (Studio 804, Inc. n.d. para. 2). Not only is the designed residence an environmentally sustainable, functional and visually appealing living abode, it also provides tours to those interested in learning about sustainable architecture.

‘This house is a combination of passive strategies and active systems which visually call out the environmental standards to which the design aspires.’ (Archdaily 2011, para. 1)

3716 Springfield, designed by Studio 804, Inc. (3716 Springfield: Long Section and Elevation Section n.d.)

It is no doubt that a lot of critical thinking has been put into designing and building this residence to make it as modern, comfortable and environmentally sustainable as it could be. Built in the year 2009, at a size of 1000 to 3000 square feet and with a budget of $100,000 to $500,000, Yunghans (2009, para. 2) describes it as managing to ‘integrate features like photovoltaics, a wind turbine, a geothermal heat pump, and radiant floor heat into a minimalist architectural language’. It features four bedrooms with two-and-a-half bathrooms, with an extremely generous master bedroom containing a private two sink bathroom and a walk out balcony. The ground floor has a gallery style kitchen that connects to the dining and living room spaces, and the designers have also added a single car garage and a loft space which can be used however the residents please (Architecture News Plus n.d.).

The living room space styled with minimal furniture. (3716 Springfield: Living Room n.d)

The gallery-style kitchen, a perfect place to cook and socialise. (3716 Springfield: Kitchen n.d.)

A generous two sink bathroom to match the generous master bedroom. (3716 Springfield: Kitchen n.d.)

To ensure the residents are comfortable within the abode, 3716 Springfield has a combination of a concrete thermal mass and a specialised radiant floor system to lower daily temperature fluctuation, with concrete chosen for its ability to absorb winter sunlight. A geothermal heat pump also helps to maintain ‘a comfortable interior air temperature by utilising the stable temperature of the earth’ (Architecture News Plus n.d., para. 7). Windows, sitting close to the ground, allow natural ventilation upwards towards the top of the house, and the louvered shading system allows just the right amount of sunlight to stream into the residence during the day.

A spacious and flexible set up with natural sunlight during the day. (3716 Springfield: Upstairs n.d.)

In terms of environmental and sustainable features, starting from the land that the residence sits on, the site was planted with durable and drought resistant fescue grass, the intention of it being an easy care replacement for conventional turf, with the south side of the landscape being intentionally left open to ‘encourage the residences to plant a garden’ (Architizer n.d., para. 2). The house has a broad south exposure to ensure the passive solar panels can gain maximum energy throughout the day, along with a wind turbine to back it up; however the residence can also tap into the public utility system when self-generated energy isn’t adequate. Water supply is collected through the pervious materials surrounding the exterior of the house, allowing rainwater to flow into the water table, with low flow valve fixtures running throughout the house to save water and lower reliance on public water sources (Architizer n.d.). A large portion of the design is pre-made in a warehouse studio which allows for their precise standards and features (Yunghans 2009).

Sustainable, yet expensive, photovoltaics. (3716 Springfield: Photovoltaics n.d.)

Despite the successful integration of sustainable technologies into an aesthetic housing package, according to Apartment Therapy’s survey, the biggest challenge for the residence is selling it, along with the biggest lesson learnt being that sustainable features are too expensive, even though one of Studio 804, Inc. aims is to build affordable, contemporary housing (Yunghans 2009, para. 5). This is something that needs to be addressed if one is to build such a sustainable house as not everyone is able to splurge in technology such as photovoltaics; even though these technologies are expensive, living in a sustainable way shouldn’t have to come at a financial expense.

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References

3716 Springfield: Bathroom n.d., Architizer, viewed 20 March 2016, <http://architizer.com/projects/3716-springfield/media/1028793>.

3716 Springfield: Exterior n.d., Architizer, viewed 20 March 2016, <http://architizer.com/projects/3716-springfield/media/1028787>.

3716 Springfield: Kitchen n.d., Architizer, viewed 20 March 2016, <http://architizer.com/projects/3716-springfield/media/1028789>.

3716 Springfield: Living Room n.d., Architizer, viewed 20 March 2016, <http://architizer.com/projects/3716-springfield/media/1028790>.

3716 Springfield: Long Section and Elevation Section n.d., Studio 804, Inc., viewed 20 March 2016, <http://studio804.com/images/springfield%20-%20sheet%20-%209%20-%20long%20section-elevation-section.jpg?crc=202973452>.

3716 Springfield: Photovoltaics n.d., Architizer, viewed 20 March 2016, <http://architizer.com/projects/3716-springfield/media/1028794>.

3716 Springfield: Upstairs n.d., Architizer, viewed 20 March 2016, <http://architizer.com/projects/3716-springfield/media/1028798>.

Archdaily 2011, Sustainable Residence / Studio 804, viewed 21 August 2016, <http://www.archdaily.com/109267/sustainable-residence-studio-804>.

Architecture News Plus n.d., 3716 Springfield – A Sustainable Residence, viewed 20 August 2016, <http://www.architecturenewsplus.com/projects/134>.

Architizer n.d., 3716 Springfield, New York, viewed 20 August 2016, <http://architizer.com/projects/3716-springfield>.

Architizer n.d., Studio 804, Inc., New York, viewed 20 August 2016, <http://architizer.com/firms/studio-804-inc>.

Studio 804, Inc. n.d., 2009: 3716 Springfield, Kansas, viewed 20 August 2016, <http://studio804.com/2009-3716-springfield.html>.

Yunghans, B. 2009, Studio 804’s Off-the-Grid Modern, Apartment Therapy, New York, viewed August 21 2016, <http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/studio-804s-sustainable-3716-s-94527>.