Design 1
Vacant building reuse plan inspired by sitka spruce trees
Inspiration
Sitka spruce trees have evolved to be incredibly resilient in their temperate rainforest ecosystem, and this ecosystem is largely able to thrive because of the sitka spruce. When the trees die, the decaying logs are also known as “nurse logs” because of how they aid in the growth of new trees. They are also important to other organisms, as they become a habitat for animals and insects, and a source of food for fungi and microorganisms.
Idea
Inspired by the endless utility of a sitka spruce even at its end of life, and its role as a habitat for animals and insects, it made me think of the many vacant buildings I see around the city and how they could be put to use in a way that benefits the entire community. While this may not be a brand new concept, I have not seen vacant spaces utilized beyond the very short term - for instance, for pop up art galleries in empty storefronts, or more recently, large former big-box stores as mass vaccination sites. Rather than stop there, some of these spaces that would otherwise remain unused for years could be maintained by individuals and organizations who wish to rent it out for special purposes - cultural events, parties, weddings, conventions, concerts, pop-up markets, and more. For publicly-owned buildings or those that could be rented for a reasonable rate, they could be sourced for emergencies or other essential uses, such as the aforementioned mass vaccination sites, disaster relief shelters, homeless shelters, socially distanced classrooms, after school programs, etc.
B2D Design Process
For my brainstorming process, I laid out the spiral steps in tables to guide me through each step and each lap and keep the ideas organized. I usually started out with different functional strategies each time I repeated the process in order to find the strategies that were either the most compelling or that overlap with each other and started to demonstrate patterns. As I progressed through steps in subsequent laps, I started to narrow down patterns and consolidate ideas.
Design 2
Free parking finder app inspired by ants
Inspiration
Ants have multiple decentralized communication methods that allow them to relay important information to the larger colony, using techniques such as scent, chemical trails, and observation. The decentralization aspect is key, as it can communicate information to the group quickly and efficiently, and provide benefit to others who can save their energy if they know the likelihood of finding food in a given area.
Idea
Inspired by the decentralized communication strategy, I devised an app idea that could utilize crowdsourced information to help users find free available parking. Similar strategies are employed in mapping apps such as Waze and Google maps, where users will contribute real time information, ensuring it remains up to date. From recent experience and research there appears to be a gap in solutions for finding free parking that works on real time crowdsourced data. Unlike paid parking apps such as Spot Hero, which can partner with paid lots and spot owners, free street parking typically relies on those with knowledge and experience in the local area, are those who are currently there and able to observe the conditions and any unexpected variables (nearby events causing congestion or closures, street cleaning schedules, construction, etc.). It would be useful to other drivers planning on the fly to have a sense of the conditions before attempting to waste time and energy looking for parking in the area.
To incentivize users, those who contribute information could earn points towards things like paid parking, which would be an additional component of the app for those who wish to find paid spots.
B2D Design Process
I used a similar process as for the first design, returning to the discover step and researching on AskNature.org to find multiple ways ants communicate. Here I quickly found the common patterns of decentralization among other life’s principles noted below. This made the source of inspiration fairly clear after this stage.
Design 3
Communication networks inspired by lemon trees
Inspiration
A network of interconnected veins in the leaves of a lemon tree enables water and sugars to travel more freely and efficiently via multiple routes, which makes it easier to repair damaged portions of the leaf when needed.
Idea
It would be helpful in disaster prone areas in particular to be able to utilize existing networks, resources, infrastructure, and storage hubs so that those in need can have quicker access to essential supplies. Private companies like Amazon have endless access to funds and thus their own top-down structure that includes delivery trucks and fulfillment centers all over the country, enabling them to easily deliver goods with same day or next day delivery.
If such vast resources could be employed at times of disaster, this would enable communities in disaster zones to get access to supplies much more quickly. This plan and a cache of essential supplies could be prepared in advance, knowing that certain areas are regularly vulnerable during hurricane, tornado, or wildfire seasons. This would require strategic partnerships between corporations, government, and NGOs, and likely either monetary incentives or regulations (or both) for corporations with resources.
With this design, I began my discover phase with AskNature, revisiting one of the organisms I associated with one of my design challenges. It was a bit more difficult to find additional adaptations and strategies for lemon trees specifically - much of the information I came across was more related to horticulture and culinary or other uses then the plant's functional strategies. But this was enough to inspire the idea as I thought of ways that networks could be employed to move energy efficiently from one place to another - especially two areas that are most in need of that energy at any given time.
