rethinking design - Spatial Design@Massey

ethinking design
Rethinking design:
Every year within New Zealand three to four million tyres are disposed of in landfills. Tyres in
landfills harm the environment and the health of New Zealanders. They have the potential to
easily catch on fire, if not stacked correctly. This creates a greater risk to the lives and health
of citizens within New Zealand (Ministry for the Environment, 2009). My design gives
disposed tyres a purpose by reusing them in an innovative way that does not harm the
environment. This will decrease the hazardous risk, as it will cut down the waste within
landfills and provide a second life for tyres. I propose a design that applies the methods of
appropriate technology. This proposal is site specific and appropriate to the environment. It
has the possibility to be considered all over New Zealand, especially within rural areas. It is
low in cost and transportation. It reuses waste materials within New Zealand in an innovative
way.
This proposal for spatial design within New Zealand is constructed out of tyres. The tyres are
stacked on top of each other and filled in with dirt to form walls. There has the potential for
vegetable plants to grow out of these tyres, which will allow the space to blend in with the
natural environment. The roof is constructed from the rubber off car tyres and the door is
constructed from the rubber off bike tyres. The pieces of rubber are sewed together with
recycled copper wire. The tyre walls on the right have the potential to collect rainwater, from
the sloping roof. This spatial design can become shelters that people can rest and relax in
within New Zealand. It is overall a design that is beneficial towards the environment and has
the potential to make radical changes to spatial design within New Zealand.