| PUBGLAS |
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Return to July 2006 Funded Projects PUBGLAS: Recycled pub glass as a material for teaching of product design Elena Sazhina The Coordinator of the project has for many years been involved in teaching Core Science and Materials Engineering at the School of Engineering. It is apparent that as teachers we sometimes do not understand how students want to learn. It is most evident in a mixed class of students with different backgrounds and aspirations, combining students from strong art backgrounds, mature students from industry and recent school-leavers with A-level in maths and physics. Currently, many design students have little grounding in mathematics and sciences and are overwhelmed by having to cope with equations and theories. On the other hand, the science and engineering students fail to appreciate the creative environment where the Design and Arts students flourish. In order to overcome these extreme points of view, this project aims to build bridges across a traditional schism between artistic and scientific approaches for the students of University of Brighton.The context for this project is the collaboration of the School of Engineering and its CETL Creativity Centre with the School of Architecture and Design and its ETL Design Centre. The former will contribute its expertise in engineering design and manufacturing facilities, together with access to its materials testing equipment and laboratories. The latter will bring its expertise in wood, ceramic and glass design together with related three dimensional design and graphics. Furthermore, this application (to CETL-C) is seen as the first half of the longer term aim to further the development of design and creativity across the two Faculties and beyond. It is planned to make a parallel application (to CETL-D) to extend the objectives of this project. The vehicle to effect this collaboration is a project investigation into the properties and qualities of glass. We will apply the principles of material science and the properties of glass that together will present a more complex engagement with a material. For example, glass interacts with light in several fashion, glass can transmit, reflect and diffract light resulting in different images which an artist can explore to full advantage. As a material, glass can be cast, blown, moulded and drawn into fibres which separately or combined, a designer can use to create structural materials. Glass is a sustainable material. It can be sourced from existing waste glass products such as beer and wine bottles. This project also addresses sustainability and recycling issues and will encourage design and art students to think of ways of using recycled glass other than as a beverage vessel. This learning of material science, material properties and sustainability as applied to glass can be transferred to other materials such as plastic, paper, wood, metal, bricks and mortar, all of which are abundantly available and being wasted in our landfills. From this project, we aim to encourage our students to see these sustainable resources from a different angle, away from their original purposes as containers, bags, newsprint, nuts and bolts, but as creative media which they will be able to handle confidently because they know how to work the materials. The platform for improving the teaching and learning process will be a small-scale facility for remelting used glass (bottles, glassware fixtures). To the best of our knowledge it will be the first such facility within the University. Traditionally, glass melting starts from dry chemicals or powders and melting is at a high temperature for a long time to support chemical reaction and homogeneity. In starting with pub glass, both glass melting temperature and time are reduced, thus conserving material and energy. Pub glass is readily available through a collaboration with Social Enterprise Magpie Cooperative, a local company that collects pub glass. Final Report |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 29 October 2008 ) |