Category Archives: Design

House Design

Posted on May 5, 2023 by Graham Shawcross

This post adds extra information to part of an earlier post “Severely Constrained Design”. The Scottish Special Housing Association (SSHA) and the Edinburgh University Architectural Research Unit (ARU) developed a Computer Aided Design program, called House Design. (Bijl et al., … Continue reading →

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Size and Distance Effect

Posted on November 19, 2022 by Graham Shawcross

The Distance Effect In whatever way they are presented, it is easier to compare two magnitudes that are quantitatively further apart, than it is to compare two magnitudes that are quantitatively closer together. This is the distance effect. Figure 1: … Continue reading →

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Cafetières, Disorder, Chaos and Anarchy

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Graham Shawcross

At breakfast this morning my wife spilt the coffee because she hadn’t aligned the strainer in the lid of a Bodum cafetière with its pouring sprout.   I suggest this is a stupid design, and “why aren’t the strainer holes all … Continue reading →

Posted in Aesthetics, Architecture, Design, Haptic Objects, Objects, Products | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Missing Pullover Found

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Graham Shawcross

My long lost 1970s pullover, slip-over, or perhaps more properly 70s tank-top, has turned up at the back of a cupboard. Last year we had turned the house upside down looking for it. The design is apparently based on the colour … Continue reading →

Posted in Aesthetics, Architecture, Design, Enumeration, Knitting | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Chocolate Fireguards

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Graham Shawcross

A very short post on Chocolate Fireguards, which as the name suggests are objects which subvert their own function. The first example is a real fireguard, though not one actually made of chocolate. It is an example of an object … Continue reading →

Posted in Aesthetics, Architecture, Brain Physiology, Design, Design Methods, Logic, Objects | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Subitising

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Graham Shawcross

The school report of Emily, our 4 year old grandchild, said that she could subitise up to the number 6, and I had no idea what this meant. Subitising is a technical term that comes from the Latin root subito … Continue reading →

Posted in Aesthetics, Architecture, Brain Physiology, Design, Design Methods, Enumeration, Geometry, Randomness | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Severely Constrained Design

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Graham Shawcross

When a design problem is severely constrained it becomes possible to generate all solutions to the problem. That is, it is possible to close out the problem. In the late 1960s and early 1970s the design of British Local Authority 2 and 3 … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Design, Design Methods, Enumeration, Housing | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Haptic Interfaces: Extending Object Capabilities

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Graham Shawcross

Whilst looking for more up-to-date scanning devices I came across this nice haptic interface that extends the capabilities of everyday objects. It comes from the Fluid Interfaces Group of the MIT Media Lab and uses my favourite definition of a … Continue reading →

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Design Methods

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Graham Shawcross

Design Methods are now so out of fashion that some of its most important documents have recently been thrown out of the Minto House library, including The Design Method (Gregory S. A. 1966) I was trained, 1963-1968, at Sheffield School … Continue reading →

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Haptic Bedside Lamp

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Graham Shawcross

I had surprisingly forgotten about this haptic lamp that actually sits in one of our bedrooms. We originally came across them in a smart B+B in Arboyne and initially were flumoxed by them. The clue to its use is on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, Geometry, Haptic Objects, Products | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments