Gestalt
This project was prompted by the Legendary Bird Home Competition of 2020 and received an Honourable Mention.
The competition tasked participants with the challenge of developing birdhouses that are not only well-designed and eye-catching but also use materials and building methods that are easily available and environmentally sustainable. The focus is to raise awareness for the global environmental crisis.
Organizer
Bee Breeders
in partnership with Birdly.org
Services
Insight
Direction
Design
Inspiration
Sustainable Materials
Bamboo plywood was the material of choice for this design. It is a durable and long lasting material that weathers well and has considerable strength. This wood can be sustainably sourced and is easily machined and steam bent.
No Tools Needed
The design is heavily inspired by Japanese carpentry and joinery. The purpose of using simple joints was to eliminate the need for adhesives and hardware for easier assembly.
Modular & Adaptable
The need for multiple options for various bird species led to a design that is easily adapted into different functional configurations.
Concept Development
The initial idea for Gestalt began as a very straight forward birdhouse design. Since various bird species require specific constraints to encourage them to nest it was important to understand what those constraints were. Certain entry hole diameters and room to enter and exit were key to a usable bird house. This dictated the overall volume and shape as the design developed.
Dowels and friction were a key part in the design direction and made their way into just about every concept. Using the weight of the home and various stacking joints were key to the final design.
CNC Machining
Eliminating as many steps as possible in the manufacturing of the design was important to creating an affordable product with a simple production process. Each component is CNC machined from a sheet of bamboo plywood. After machining, the large front face of the birdhouse is steam bent to create the rounded form seen in the final design.
Manufacturing
No Tools Needed
This design is more accessible because it is assembled without any need for tools. This is accomplished by using lap joints and dowels inspired by Japanese carpentry. I wanted the design to feel like a puzzle that as assembled becomes stronger—each part is necessary for the final design to work.
Assembly
Modular
Because there are many bird species that could live in this design it was important that multiple homes could be arranged into a communal stack. This benefits birds that are more comfortable with their neighbors such as purple martins and other colonial species.
Each home is held up by its own friction fit dowel that sets the height of the home and prevents it from rotating. While in a stack, each home is still easily accessible for routine cleaning and maintenance.
Adaptable
By interchanging the central post and metal hanging rod the design can adapt to different environments and bird species.
Hanging
The hanging configuration would be best suited for individuals with apartment balconies and forested yards, ideal roosting for bluebirds and wrens.
Post-in-Ground
The post-in-ground configuration can be placed in fields and backyards that would be best for purple martins or other species that prefer open spaces around their dwellings.
These different embodiments have the additional benefit of allowing many people to configure their bird house for their own current living arrangements.
Final Presentation Board
Legendary Bird Home 2020
Honorable Mention
Gestalt was selected as an honorable mention for Bee Breeders Legendary Bird Home 2020 competition. The competition tasked participants with the challenge of developing birdhouses that are not only well designed and eye-catching but use both materials and building methods that are easily available and environmentally sustainable. The focus is to raise awareness for the global environmental crisis.