Legos, the new duct tape...

Credit: Venti Eventi - Bocchignano/Rom 2007

Thanks to Platform 21 who inspired this unique repair.

 I often think architecture goes to to extreme, dull to overly designed, often without a sense of humor. Today,  I was surprised when someone sent me this. After investigation this was part of a project for people to get creative with repairs. There were specific guidelines put on " platform 21' repair manifesto from the Netherlands. One of which was for product designers, to design the products to be repaired.  Such wisdom, this frustrates me to no end. I will never advise a client to use a product that cannot be repaired unless they  get a "deal" where it is less expensive to replace it than fix it. Never in a position where it is a safety issue, or foundational to the construction of the project. "Deals" should only be used in the superficial areas of construction.

This project was called dispatchwork. What I like about this it changes the way people think, it broadens the mind and opens it to new possibilities in design. It is the "far" right brained side of design.  The area which is true creativity, where inventions happen, where people solve the great ills that affect us. Sometimes it is just for the sake of saving money and not wasting something that has just had a off day.

A recent client was disgusted with her fountain. Leaked, lopsided, off color. So instead of buying a new one, I encouraged her to let me restain it with acid, as well as building an overflow pool for a basin. The fountain turned out wonderfully. See...

Can you believe this thing, with the wire hanging out was for a 3m house. Inexcusable. But, with a few hundred dollars we transformed it to a fountain worthy of the property.

So happy endings, I encourage you all to take another look yourself no matter what the broken item is, to see if a repair would take it to a new level. Expand your parameters and exercise both sides of the brain.