Potentially local: Soil types

When considering how generic processes for production can be used to make locally sensitive products, we must decide what aspects of these local areas we chose to influence these designs.

Other than sociological and economic factors, we can also explore how environmental and ecological characteristics can influence these designs. The first I have chosen to research is differences in soil types and how this would dictate the designs of garden equipment produced using this new manufacturing resources in different regions.

Here is a simple categorisation of different soil types in the UK, as found on The European Agricultural Investment Services website. Though in reality soils are combination of types, in 'varying quantities' and each one is unique to its origin or locale.

Here is a interactive map, Soilscapes, that can be used to locate the different types of soil found in this project's three locations Chorley, Lewes and Loughborough.

Experiments to follow.

Lewes: Gypsum mine

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Today I went to gypsum mine in Sussex, as part of my research of sourcing locally abundant materials to produce mouse traps for farmers markets in three different English regions. Here my favourite pictures, which I feel will give you the greatness appreciation of what the mine is like.

Characteristic of the region

When exploring ways of realising potential resources for production in local environments, like widely available skills like key cutting and orthopaedic casting, we must also take into consideration we can remove the genericism of the skills and invoke local relevance in these products for the local user.

One approach of attempting this could be by tailoring this resources/processes so that that the products they fabricate are sensitive to cultural and social trends characteristic to the region of their use.

Here is a link on the from the National Office of Statistics on regional trends

'Regional Trends brings together official statistics, analysis and guidance to assist those with an interest in places in the UK to understand the complex relationships between locations and the people who live there.'

Chorley Trap; Cutacre mine

Yesterday I was even the great opportunity to be toured around UK coal's open cast mine, Cutacre, just outside of Bolton. The scale of the site is really quite staggering and gives a intriguing insight into the scales of extraction and refinement the site operates. The sites last commercially viable deposits are due to be extracted by February 2011, with the the mine 'filled in' with 15-18 months of that target date.

The abundance of coal in the region Chorley is in, makes it a relevant choice for the constituent material to use in the trap I am hope to design for this region. The challenge lies how to refine coal into a material that could be formed into a functioning mousetrap (Experiments to follow).