Development

Another small glitch i came across was how brittle the acrylic was, i drilled a guide hole to start with for my seed shaped insert, however i think that may have weakened the structure and this happened. 

 

Further Development - CNC Lathing

I came across a few minor problems while i was making my CNC profile, such as how i will allow for the chuck to grip the acrylic without damaging the fragile material. After talking to the men downstairs i had come up with a solution that keeps everyone happy. 

Because my design tapered to a precise point at each end i would need to allow for enough material so the chuck could hold the acrylic, while each end was done separately.

Here are some quick sketches i put together while i was pondering how to work around my problems.

Process and Development

The idea behind my design is to create the illusion that the seed is frozen inside my vessel, nurturing and holding the seed secure. To make this possible i will need a clear material, which i have chosen acrylic as it has certain qualities i believe will enhance my idea through magnification. 

 
As you can see here this acrylic tube is ideal for what i need, and will work well with a dark New Zealand wood to represent the seed.

Final Rendered Concept

The final refined concept i have chosen shows elements of balance, proportion, elegance and delicacy through the use of transparency, scale and carefully selected materials. 

My final concept considers organic form which reveals the most important part, which is the seed safely housed inside the vessel. I have chosen to render my vessel in clear acrylic because of its aesthetic qualities as it is able to be polished to magnify, or etched to change the surface and texture, and a natural wood to represent a seed.

5 Concepts

After developing my initial ideas i have refined and selected a few models which i believe are the most successful in the way they each communicate the idea of housing a native New Zealand seed, each form shows delicacy and elegance while remaining secure and simple in shape. I have started to play with transparency and the use of different materials in these renders also to give further meaning to the forms.

Development

These are some rendered images from solidworks using the shapes that have caught my attention, i think keeping quite an elegant and organic form is important in this theme and it is housing a very important seed.

Solidworks Sketch Models

After doing my initial research i have made a few quick sketch models using solidworks, this has helped me understand the overall form and shape of my vessel. 

Research

The theme i have chosen to focus my vessel design on is the housing of a native New Zealand plant seed in the Svalbard seed vault. I looked through various articles and small videos on the idea of 'doomsday' and how these theories are effecting the world. 

From here i have considered conditions which may effect my design such as temperature, materials, visual qualities and various types of housing these seeds. 

I learnt that the seed vault stores seeds at -18 degrees Celsius and 120m inside a sandstone mountain on Spitsbergen, so the design should communicate these properties in an aesthetic way.

The sketches above are some initial ideas i had, showing the idea of using a cork to seal the seed inside to lock out moisture and air.