• 1

RONINGEAR FOR URBAN ROAMERS

2015PATRICK MALLON

2 •

• 3

4 •

TALLINN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

THE STUDIO

• 5

Diversification is my response to the emergence of the designer as the saviour of the modern age. I have recently relocated to Tallinn from the UK, and currently work in a local engineering firm. My work experience has provided a clear understanding of what the industry requires: an in-depth understanding of materiality; assembly & manufacturing techniques; graphical communication and design intent. The rigorous environment of academia is my favoured option to fulfil these aims. Conditions such as the time, place and subject matter now feel right for me to earn the privilege of a masters degree. I also have a keen desire to learn Estonian and to better understand Estonian culture, which has been so welcoming to me.

Patrick James MallonBarchDesigner. trainee mechanical engineer@mite engineering

ABOUT ME

DESIGN & ENGINEERING

NUISANCE IN PUBLIC AND SEMI-PUBLIC SPACE Public space is a social space we use and share every day. A space we are free to enter – citystreets, roads, parks and public buildings. Semi-public space or places include also places where everybody can come if they pay, like a café, train, theater or a shopping mall. We spend a lot of our time in public or semy public space. But how are these designed? How are the things designed to behave in public space?

Special mention goes to:Sulev, Heli & Piret Saar.Thx to Kristjan Indus for his early contributions Patrick Mallon - BarchDesigner and trainee mechanical engineer

email:pjmallon@gmail.com

Our everyday is full of small, usually un-noticed but still bothering situations or incidents. These are so ordinary, that we do not notice them until pointed out. And when we realise, they really are a nuisance.

Find them, understand them and turn these small problems into big opportunities

PROF. MARTIN PÄRN, RUTH-HELENE MELIORANSKI,JANNO NÕU

GENERAL BRIEF

6 •

Early on I decided that there was potential for research in the area of modern transient lifestyles. This subject was appealing to me due to my own rolling existence & and it was met with similar enthusiasiam from the many internation students on the design & engineering course.

Once the general design brief was set the engineering deign loop was the primary method of investigation, it is a reiterative process which can be used at any stage and any scale (fractally).

Early research heavily utilised relational mapping to help understand the many interdepent systems and concepts that make up the common language of luggage and online questionaire was also useful for

PERSONAL DESIGN BRIEF

• 7

determining that the desire to travel more was almost ubiquitous amongst generation Y. This generation became a focal point for investigation as acording to forbes in 2015 “Young Tourists Spent $217 Billion Last Year, More Growth Than Any Other Group”. The term tourist was explored for not being accurate enough for this target group.

8 •

• 9

10 •

TYPICAL JOURNEYS

• 11

Mapping exercised were used to better understand common bedroom activities. Also a diagram to demonstrate the kind of luggage which would be needed for particular journey types and lenghts.

12 •

I crudely mapped the current, and guessed at the coming technological and social paradigm by compiling influenential factors. A brief history of luggage was also useful to see how luggage design is strongly related to the dominant form of transport aswell as coupled strongly with the emergance of the middle class.

CONTEXTUAL MAPS

• 13

14 •

All touch points were mapped in sequence for a traditional luggage scenario,

• 15

16 •

• 17

Stake holder maps were used to predict the lifecycle of luggage and the many interaction between luggage and the big wide world.

18 •

Positioning charts greatly helped identify the core value of the developing product by relating and differentiating to other existing luggage and furniture solutions.

POSITIONING

• 19

20 •

POSITIONING

• 21

22 •

• 23

24 •

Inspiration was sought for forms materials & lifestyle from sources spanning hundreds of years of design. The luis Vuitton steamer trunk provided much of the early drive for creating a system which looked as much fun to use whilst docked as when moving. Many of the early concepts mimicked its style by housing the clothing unit in a swinging door on the front of the luggage. This door could also protect a set of drawers. The main problem of course was the extreme weight of such a system not to mention access issues from the low height of the clothes rail.

PRECEDENTS & INSPIRATION

• 25

26 •

BRANDING EXERCISES

• 27

28 •

EARLY CONCEPTS

BENEFITSFamiliarity of useStable groundingGood miscellaneous item storageGood storage for dirty/unfolded clothes

QUESTIONS weight issue wheel position

4 main concept were drawn up.(Beginning left) 1. Single door lots of drawers, 2. The telescopic rail, 3. The double door, 4. The Table. The rail was chosen for further development because the increased comfort afforded by the rail was hard to downplay, and the telescopic mechanism seemed in keeping with technology currently employed on luggage.

• 29

BENEFITS* Low footprint in the room* Rail can be used as handle. (lower weight)* Wheel-able when rail up.* Clean aesthetic* Good frontal access

QUESTIONS - How to store and access things? -Many draws -Single sliding draw -pivoting draw

- Unstable due to the weight of protruding items (if using draws)

BENEFITSCabin sizedRail can be used as handlesturdy handle vs normal luggage

QUESTIONS_ Right or left side positioningClothes positionStability of rail?Which side is accessed?lid functionality?

30 •

Responding to the current and projected globalisation of our work, study and recreation environments; Ronin explores the possibility for creating a luggage system designed specifically for what I term: urban roamers. These roamers are a modern phenomenon, A Tech savvy generation sharing more commonalities with their global networks than with their traditional rooted communities. They are always ready for an adventure in a foreign place and do not shy from

hard work. Some example roamers include exchange students, contractors & media professionals. This group are happy to invest in quality design but value their freedom above all else, illustrated by the trend for them to delay traditional milestones such as marriage and home-owning.

Ronin is designed as a luggage system that performs much like household furniture when in its rest state.

• 31

Owners deploy Ronin by lifting up the hand rail to a level where it becomes a personal clothes rail, a much more convenient way to store and access larger items of clothing. For longer periods of deployed usage the wheels can be removed for a cleaner aesthetic. Items can accessed from the front of the Ronin, from two compartments providing drawer like functionality & feature a unique “digital tablet cover” style enclosure replacing traditional zips for a smoother experience. Additional quick access storage is also located on the sides providing space for thiner items (laptops, books & papers) and a novel glove compartment

is positioned on the rear between the hand rail for smaller finicky items.

And as for the name, for those that don’t know a Ronin was roaming samurai with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. The name Ronin best reflects the minimal free flowing lifestyle adopted by the ‘urban roamers’ who still strive to maintain their dignity and principles whilst on the go.

32 •

MATERIALS & CONSTRUCTION

Design inspiration was driven for the need for frontal access. System robustness was also crucial. Airport checkpoints played a large part of the design thinking due to the stringent requirements for luggage. Design language came from car exteriors as well as the soft fillets of a Mac book computer, both were considered worth imitating due to their ergonomic and beautiful expressions of form.

• 33

34 •

DIMENSIONS

• 35