Blocked

Initial design proposal

Blocked is designed as a wooden cube which promises more than what it shows in the first glance. Practice of interacting with wooden cubic toys is shared through collective memory and is retold with the invitation of interaction created with the closed cubic form of “Blocked”. The form of design harmonizes with wood. Its toy-like structure is built by the interactions of modules with each other, floor and the user. Its cubic form becomes open to use by taking off the locking piece and placing the other three properly on the floor.

Design development and production process

During the meetings, the weight of Blocked which is a problem arised from the massiveness of the design and high self-weight of the hard wood material is discussed. This was a problem especially because the primary design decision of being mobile, but since the rigid structure of the form and the material works by supporting each other, it is abided by the decision.

Additional detail discussed in the meeting was the creation of a radius at the corners while milling the 'plus' parts. It is agreed on the production details on this subject with Yonga by deciding on minimizing the radius in order to create the most edgy look.

Another important issue was the decision on the wood fiber direction. In the design, there is the idea of the fibers appearing on the feet should be placed perpendicular to the floor in the standing position of each unit. It is important that the joints are not visible (or appear minimally) in order each unit to be perceived separately and together as massive and holistic. So the mock-up was rearranged according to the feedbacks.