Tamati
"Technology is more beneficial as a subject - it's an everyday sort of thing which allows you to think in a different way with a 'hands-on' perspective."
Tamati decided to continue his work with St Mark's Church School, an inner-city school next to Wellington College. He started his project with Principal Christina Leach and the head of PE as his clients, and discussed possible opportunities with them. The Head wanted new, innovative playground equipment suitable for pupils ranging from Years 1-8. The school has limited outside space so this would be a major influence on the design.
A primary school student was selected to work with Tamati, who spent time talking to him about his thoughts and interests. Tamati moved on to the student's ideas rather than the PE departments, and came up with ideas around tennis or patter tennis. The student was aware that the playground was cluttered with games and activities and that whatever you played you tended to interrupt. Tamati had enjoyed patter tennis at his primary school but this had been in the middle of the playground and concreted in place. Such a solution would not be viable here because the area was used for a wide variety of games. He decided to elaborate on this and explore ways to make it more innovative. The main factor he knew would need to be incorporated was the need to store it away when not in use. A potentially conflicting factor would be that the net would need to be long enough to act as a court divider.
Tamati came up with a few concepts for a patter tennis court divider that could be stored away easily. Some of these involved a net similar to volleyball, which would be lightweight and easy to pick up and put away. Unfortunately this would still require poles and Wellington's high winds would prove too difficult to guard against. The length was another issue; being impractical at five metres long and with other heavier games going on around the tennis.
He next investigated ideas involving wire mesh or heavy-duty cord. These required some rigid frame and a means of tightening the structure. Transportability and stability also needed to be explored. One particular problem was getting the net mesh to the required strength. Something more robust was desirable but necessitated extra weight and strength in the frame.
Tamati explored a wide range of wheels which were both heavy duty and lockable. He found that different types offered a variety of strengths and weaknesses. Weighting these up with the help of expert advice in the field was essential. Wheels that could interlock, so that the piece of equipment could stay firmly in place, proved to be a significant cost factor.
After settling on a rolling net Tamati had to look at where it would actually go. This involved considering the idea of locking it against the wall and other locations. However, the site is easily open to the public and whatever location was chosen would need to be fully secure.
His designs were moving towards what was basically a fence on wheels. Tamati had to concentrate on key factors, such as cost. He tried to keep costs down by using the cheapest materials he could find, which led to the use of fencing material. However, cost had to be balanced against strength and durability so he had to look at the wear and tear of different materials. He says "Balancing these key factors does change your thinking and innovation."
Tamati had to consider safety issues including OSH (Occupational Safety and Health) requirements for playgrounds. He designed the 'fence on wheels' with rounded edges to avoid injuries to pupils running around in a crowded, busy playground.
Tamati says he found some frustrating parts when actually making the final product. The joints were meant to be screwed together with an Allen key but failed to hold securely. The movement, though not great, required the welding several joints to prevent. He had to spend some considerable time considering the rolling wheels and how he would attach them; eventually drilling a hole through the crossbar galvanised 50mm steel tubing, which he notes held them quite nicely.
He was also conscious of time constraints, because he and his client had been late to decide on which project idea was best and to ratify the cost implications, but this worked out well in the end.
Tamati enjoyed working with his young client because he'd gone through the same experiences and had a similar life-style and thoughts at his age. The client was quite shy at first and found discussing the opportunities a bit tense; however over time he relaxed and got on well with the designer.
Tamati is pleased with the final outcome although he feels there are a few things he could have done better, such as time management, and the welding of the joints. He tried to keep the costs well below budget, but in the end just managed stay within it.
Tamati says he has always liked technology, both at school and home where he'll face a problem such as a rattling window, sticky door or television aerial and work out a solution. He enjoys the innovative thinking - finding a solution to a problem and then the physical aspect of implementing it.
Tamati's plans for 2007 include studying Industrial Design at Massey University in Wellington.
