Friday 23 December 2011

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

The team at Mark Lovell Design Engineers would like to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The office will be closed for the Christmas period but will be back on Tuesday 3rd January 2012.

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Engineering – Autumn Statement

The global market runs world businesses, governed by global economics. The scant world resources, commodities and products naturally determine their own value and market size. The global market with subtle shifts in trends, skews the market allowing opportunities for different economies or new products to take a firmer hold of the sector. The current world economic model based on continual growth cannot function into the future, it is simply not sustainable. The current Western economies are faltering due to excessive debt caused by trying to create growth.

In the past few decades most global scale products were made in the lowest cost centres in the world, irrespective of the remoteness of the manufacturing plant. The actual transportation cost of the materials and consumables to and from the works and onwards to their markets has had little impact or influence on where they are actually made. This trend will become outdated as energy and resources become more expensive and difficult to find. More efficient local recycling of goods will also be needed in order to limit the unnecessary use of fuel and energy.

New highly sophisticated fabrication facilities will make a huge range of different mass produced products for different global brands from downloaded secure Cloud based information sources.

The design specification will be the critical intellectual property which Cloud technology will protect via safe direct non externally downloadable CadCam interfaces within the new generation of sophisticated Fabrication facilities. These facilities will be more evenly dispersed over the globe than the current production centres. Their density will increase as energy prices increase. The relentless world demand for internet and computers almost ensures that the predicted Cloud production will happen quite soon.

It is believed that about 9% of all the world energy is currently consumed by computers and the internet, albeit inclusive of the embodied energy of the systems and the power needed to run them! Regional economies will need to be re-established. The world needs joined up thinking by engaged joined up thinkers to create an holistic solution which actually works for mankind. A celestial alternative to spaceship earth is not an option for the majority of this planet.

Mark Lovell

Wednesday 26 October 2011

Anglepoise Giant Chandelier - MLDE Providing Design Engineering Assistance

MLDE have been providing Anglepoise with Structural Engineering assistance in the realisation of their 4.5m diameter Giant Chandelier consisting of eight Giant 1227 lamps.

This visually impressive piece will be shown for the first time at Qubique, a new designer show in Berlin, Germany, showcasing an inspiring selection of high-quality and unique products.

Qubique will run from October 26 to 29 2011 at Berlin’s decommissioned Tempelhof Airport.

Trade Days: Wednesday, October 26 and Thursday, October 27, 2011
Public Days: Friday, October 28 and Saturday, October 29, 2011
Opening Hours: 10:00 AM – 19:00 PM

Anglepoise Giant Chandelier

Tuesday 11 October 2011

MLDE providing Design Engineering assistance for Pegasus Sculpture

MLDE are supporting Charlie Langton and Mark Jackson with the design engineering aspects to help develop beautiful and elegant sculptures of Pegasus and a Paratrooper.

The Parachute Regiment, to mark its 70th Anniversary, has commissioned its first-ever National Airborne Forces Memorial. It will be sited at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, which commemorates military lives lost since 1948. The images below show the Artists clays in progress.
Paratrooper Sculpture


Pegasus Sculpture











The completed Airborne Forces memorial of Pegasus with Bellerophon astride and Paratrooper beneath is due to be unveiled in July 2012.

Thursday 22 September 2011

'Tree' – Oak Table displayed at Design Junction

Benchmark Furniture and MLDE have collaborated in the unveiling of ‘Tree’ at designjunction as part of the London Design Festival last evening. This stunning 11.4m oak table is a unique piece of furniture. The picture below shows the elegant, light and concise design of the finished table in position at the exhibition.

Tree at designjunction Benchmark stand

The structural philosophy for this table being that it functions as a tree with a central base “trunk and roots” which supports the main table top “canopy”, with “branches” supporting the spreading canopy.

Visitors can see this in person at the event which is open from Thursday 22 September - Sunday 26 September from 11am to 6pm

Victoria House Basement, 37-63 Southampton Row, London, WC1B 4DA

Thursday 8 September 2011

MLDE working with Benchmark Furniture for DesignJunction

MLDE have recently been working in collaboration with Benchmark Furniture to create an exciting new table for designjunction, an event to be held as part of London Design Festival and intended to showcase the very best in global design.

Bringing together a stellar line-up of leading UK and international lighting and furniture brands, the event is set to excite, inspire and challenge anyone with a passion for design.

designjunction will be open from Thursday 22 September - Sunday 26 September from 11am to 6pm.

Designjunction
Victoria House Basement
37-63 Southampton Row
LONDON
WC1B 4DA


The table will be made from a log that took 6 months to locate. It is the longest planked oak log that any of Benchmark’s sources in the timber trade has ever known. To machine the log, Benchmark has had to cut holes through the walls on either side of the workshop. It might be expected that a table of these proportions would need a substantial under frame but this table will deliver long, clean lines with minimal interference from the under structure as a result of an inventive design and intelligent use of materials.”


The relationship between the two parties goes back several years with MLDE acting as Structural Engineer for Benchmarks Offices in Kintbury in 2003. The project involved utilising the exiting roof space and Structure and inserting a very lightweight structure to allow the conversion of the loft space with minimal disruption.

Wednesday 31 August 2011

White Elephants and Dinosaurs

In the modern era Engineers have mostly kept a low profile and have not generally become involved in politics; only reacting to the demands of others. Their design skills used to solve problems created by non holistic policies. This is a strange situation when one considers that virtually all items in the world are Designed and Engineered. Most people will look out of their windows and see only man-made objects being totally dependant on the utilities infrastructure for example.

Society must become more aware that a holistic approach to sustainable design must be put into place, and Engineers should take a much more active role in helping to guide the process. Not simply accepting the way things are. Taking “ownership” of their future. It is strongly felt that the current reactive design processes must be changed to proactive ones, and governments need to learn this too.

The time has come to truly respect that Planet Earth's resources are finite and to use them carefully and wisely. It is important for all clients, whether private or corporate, whom are awarding commissions to take sustainability and energy use seriously, with consideration from the outset. Clients need to be much more careful about the manner in which they appoint their consultants. Many, many White Elephants are currently being created in the world and never has the saying: “measure twice cut once” had more weight. Are you making an informed decision or a pre-programmed one, which might be commissioning a Dinosaur?

Mark Lovell

mark lovell design engineers

About Me

My photo
Structural and Civil Design Engineering Consultants based in Devizes, Wiltshire