Design for Nomadic Seafaring Life
Product design | Clean energy | Craft | Space & Architecture
A lighting device that uses clean energy to generate electricity from waves, and this project redesign the houses of sea nomads.
This project is designed for sea nomads to meet the lighting needs, it uses the clean energy of waves to generate electricity. And this project combines the advantages of local resources, using traditional weaving techniques to redesign the living houses.
Project background
This project was inspired by my travels in Malaysia, where I was exposed to the Bajau, who have lived in the stilted house for centuries and make a living by fishing. Environmental pollution has reduced fishing, thus influencing their living circumstances and needs. I used local advantages such as traditional weaving, solar energy and wave energy to redesign the house and lighting system to improve their living quality and income. This design covered multi-discipline knowledge concerning product design, architecture design, and material, to solve problems in reality, and wave power generation is an affordable clean energy for local residents.
How it works and design process
The lighting system is based on the electromagnetic induction, using waves to generate electricity. It consists of an illuminated part that on the planks of the house and an underwater part that is fixed to the supporting columns of the house. Float on the surface of the ocean move up and down with the waves, driving the magnets up and down, constantly passing through the coil, generating electricity. And finally the wave energy can be converted into electrical energy to meet the daily lighting needs of residents. On the other hand, this project redesign the houses, combine the local traditional weaving craft. Different weaving methods will result in different patterns in the final product. The gaps between these patterns allow air and light to pass through, so changing the natural lighting and air circulation of the house can be achieved through different weave textures.
