Fountain Planter – Specifications and Constraints

For my project I feel that most of my specifications fall into the functional category, as well as my restraints. Below are the specifications I hope to hit to ensure my project is both functional and fitting of my aesthetic, as well as some constraints that have informed or will continue to inform my design for this project. As I am planning on building a combined fountain and planter in the industrial aesthetic, many of my constraints come from the clashing of these aspects.

Aesthetic Specifications

1. The plants in this piece should juxtapose the surrounding design of the piece. With both the plants, fountain, and overall design drawing the same amount of attention.
2. The overall finished project should reflect an industrial aesthetic well enough that anyone could label it as such with no prior knowledge of this project.

Functional Specifications

1.   Both the fountain and planter aspects of the project should be fully functional, allowing for multiple plants to be planted and a fountain that can run with no external power source.
2. The entire piece should be light enough to allow for easy transport to ensure that there is enough sunlight for both the plants and the solar panel for the fountain.
3. The assembly should be able to be taken apart to clean, as well as allowing for plants to be taken out so that new ones can be planted.

I set these specifications with the goal to help guide me during the assembly of this project. My main goal is to create a cohesive and functional design where one aspect doesn’t overpower another, with both the fountain portion, and planter portion working well enough to stand on their own, and enhancing the final product when combined together.

Constraints

1) Area for planting

• In keeping with the functional specification of keeping the design light and portable enough to be moved by one person, I have to keep that in mind with all parts of this design. Different plants require different footprints and soil depths. To keep the cohesive look of broken concrete I do not want the design to be too deep, which I will have to balance with leaving enough room for the water basin and soil.

2) Materials for industrial aesthetic

• While working on the design for the broken concrete base I have been researching how to work with plaster. This will allow for the aesthetic to be met without adding all the extra weight of real concrete. However, I have never worked with plaster before which will require learning on my end.

3) Selecting plants

• As stated earlier, the spacing I have for plants will inform my selection. Other considerations include choosing plants that will fit the aesthetic the best, be low enough maintenance to ensure longer life span, as well as considering which plants can be bottom watered, as that is what I hope the fountain part of this design will do.

4) Water basin and weight constraints

• I need a water basin to feed the fountain portion and hope to integrate this basin into a system that will bottom water plants. However, this water basin also needs to be removable to clean, and hold enough water for all components without ballooning the weight significantly.

5) Spacing constraints

• Finally, my last constraint is with the footprint of the whole design. Fitting spots to plant, a fountain, and other aesthetic details will take up a good deal of space. I hope to make the footprint as small as possible to both cut down on weight and material costs.

The constraints that will be the toughest to deal with are all the spacing constraints. I want to balance the form of this project with its scale. Allowing me to complete a finished and polished design without biting off more than I can chew.

References

[Featured Image] From Metal Fountain Works the Corten Waterfall and Planter Combo  https://fountainmetalworks.com/product/corten-waterfall-planter-combo/

[1] https://www.peterlundell.com/bloom-in-the-cracks/

[2] https://urbanscapeplanters.com/bottom-watering-planters/