Category Archives: Sustainability

KKDU Plum Bike Trailer and Rack

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Stack it, Pack it, Bike it, Love it! Thats the motto for Melbourne based startup KKDU Plum, and their first product certainly lives up to it.

Founders Astrid and Haydn Sharratt approached Charlwood Design in 2014 and engaged us to help develop a their new bike trailer. The brief was to develop a trailer that could not only haul all your “stuff”, but also double up as a fully functional shopping trolley- one that was easy and comfortable to push or pull around.

The end result is a smart system made up of two key devices- the trailer and the rack. The trailer consists of an upper and lower tub for holding anything and everything, traditionally formed tubular frame, fully adustable handle that doubles as a hitch point for towing, and a fold-away third wheel to convert it from trailer to trolley in a matter of seconds. The rack, stunningly finished in bright chrome, is designed to fit most bikes. It is also the mounting point for the quick release uni joint hitch- an incredibly simple to use design that allows the trailer to be removed from the bike effortlessly.

For more information on this product check out the KKDU Plum website here.

Additionally, you can read more on our design process over at our blog, here.

 

Hydrawise HC Smart Irrigation Controller

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Charlwood Design were approached by Hydrawise back in 2013 to re-design the controller housing for their Smart Watering and Irrigation system. Hydrawise had previously been using an OTS housing for their main controller unit, but after experiencing some growth, felt they needed to create something unique to represent the same level of intelligence and sophistication that their software and system design displayed.

The Hydrawise system allows users to manage their irrigation controller from anywhere worldwide using a smart device or web browser. Predictive watering adjusts schedules based on forecast temperature, rainfall probability, wind and humidity using a vast array of weather stations around the world. The system can setup for everything from a small courtyard to a large vineyard.

Our brief was to create a simple, low cost, water resistant housing that stood out from the competitors and was easy to install. The finished product met all criteria, and helped boost Hydrawise sales three fold. In addition to the controller, Charlwood Design also helped to develop the user interface for future use.

In 2016 Hydrawise was acquired by irrigation giant Hunter Industries, fantastic news for the small Australian technology start up.

For more information on this product, head over to the Hunter Industries website – hunterindustries.com

 

Uppercup

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UPPERCUP is a sustainably designed, reusable takeaway coffee cup. With a strong belief that good design is long lasting the product has been designed as an elegant, durable alternative to disposable cups. The unique, double wall tumbler is made of Tritan plastic and is ultrasonically welded. The result is a BPA free design that not only insulates the cup but also doesn’t absorb odours and flavours and is fully recyclable. The sturdy plastic construction ensures it is not fragile like ceramic or glass.

The unique rotating lid can be turned to reveal a tilt-up spout and then resealed flat to prevent splashes. The PP and LDPE parts separate for easy cleaning and recycling at the end of life. Designed and manufactured in Melbourne Australia the cup is available in white/black in two sizes – 8oz and 12oz. It is currently featured on the crowdfunding site pozible

321 Water Bottle

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The 321 Water bottle is a reusable personal water filtration bottle with a unique plunger filter mechanism invented and designed by Charlwood Design. The ecologically sustainable design encourages the environmentally conscious user to carry and refill the bottle and the carbon filters are easily replaceable. They can be plunged repeatedly to filter the water.

Solar Tower Concept

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Charlwood Design was engaged by Enviromission limited to create a vision for a future “hope solar tower” – a solar, thermal power station for the Smithsonian Institute Design Triennial exhibition in New York. In conjunction with R-Co we developed a scale model of our concept inspired by the complex network of roots beneath a tree. The highly detailed final model was produced in machined aluminium and acrylic.

The tower operates by collecting the sun’s radiation to heat a large body of air under a glass collection area, which acts as a giant greenhouse. Based on the principle that heat rises, this air flows towards the center of the collector through electricity generating turbines and out of the tower’s central chimney. A single 200-megawatt solar tower is estimated to produce enough electricity to power approximately half a million households.

‘Vestri’ Bicycle Rental System

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The Vestri bike system concept is inspired by the environment & uses wind power to sustain itself. Rental stations with vertical turbines are installed in the city. The Stations can generate power, lock bikes & transmit to a command centre. Users insert a credit card or a vestri card & borrow the unique bicycle. They can pre-book online, via sms or on the train. They can return it to a rental station with incentives in place such as credit towards a meal or a train ticket home to distribute bikes to high use areas. Since the turbines are not “on the grid” the stations can be relocated based on demand.

The Vestri Bike is friendly, elegant and practical. It is designed for low cost and easy maintenance with a rotationally moulded polypropylene body, shaft drive and ergonomic proportions for both men and women. The seat height is easily adjusted with a spring loaded clip. The tyres are injected with urethane to withstand punctures. The body also has a pannier rack integrated into the design for the users bag to be fastened to.For information available: download PDF.

‘Commonwealth Ave’ Concept for Melbourne

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Charlwood design’s concept for the Kings Way entrance to Melbourne is a sustainable vision of the future. It would create both an illuminated sculpture and functional transport corridor out of the street infrastructure elements. The design incorporates solar panels and water storage into 200 vast water towers.
This proposed re-development allows cyclists, pedestrians, cars trucks and trams to all use the through-fare safely and conveniently. The two multi-lane dual direction bike ‘high-way’ will encourage more city users to use bicycling as a form of transport as they can feel safe and protected from the traffic.

Shower Timer

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Charlwood design was commissioned to re-engineer a four minute shower timer for environmentally friendly manufacture, minimising the need for unneccessary screws and components. Sustainable design principles were utilised throughout the development process and the final product is completely recyclable.

The ShowerWatch was a finalist in the 2006 Premier’s Design Awards Victoria, in the category ‘City of Melbourne Sustainability Design Award’.

Tiltamatic Squeeze Mop

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Charlwood was asked by Oates to rethink their flagship Squeeze Mop to remove the metal spring that was causing difficulty in manufacturing and adding assembly costs. The Oates squeeze mop was redesigned to remove all metal components and resulted in three individual patented design features. The end result reduced production cost, increased quality and performance and with the compete unit made out of polypropylene and free of adhesives, is fully recyclable.

In production since 2007 the tiltamatic is a best selling, iconic product for Oates.

Charlwood has a long standing relationship designing innovative products for Oates.

For more Oates projects please click here