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Posted by: Jeannie Choe
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Comments (4)
NC State ID student Joe Harmon's graduation project was initially inspired by WWII era all-wood aircraft like the de Havilland Mosquito--raising the question, "Why not a wooden car?" He ended up with Splinter, a "mid-engined, monocoque design to be constructed almost entirely out of wood laminates with a target weight of 2500 lbs and a power goal of over 600 horsepower...whew...and he's got it all up on a damn-snappy site with "Splinter Vision" that allows you to poke around every nook and cranny of the design. Splinter Vision...yes it's as intense as it sounds. Despite the level of practicality, we've gotta commend Joe for being thorough, at the very least.
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Comments
How about asking, "Why a wooden car?" I don't see a very meaningful mission statement here. A project of this magnitude(financially, time wise, resourcefully), needs a greater reason for pursuit. If the goal is to say, "because we can", congratulations, you're on your way. However, if your goal is to design with integrity, I wouldn't proceed any further, but with all those sponsors, what the hell, why not? Right? Furthermore, a "snappy" website isn't going to right this ship, no pun intended. Good luck on your wooden car of the future.
I think there's plenty of people in the world and in design who will give great reasons for doing nothing, for not pushing the envelope far enough, for failing to ask "what if?". I see no more pure a reason for creation than, "Because I can." The better question is, "should I?" and unless you want to see what the next conservative, unambitious, unexciting, geared for the masses and powered clean burning whatever, design looks like. the answer is yes! I'll admit, there are times to be reasonable, but fashioning a one-off wooden super car is not one. If it looked like your prius I might ask questions.
A graduate project is an opportunity for a designer to do anything they want for quite possibly the last time in their life (design-wise) While the mission statement you see may be nothing more than "because we can," I'm willing to bet there are a thousand other reasons Joe has for doing this that he hasn't written about because he's too busy making a wooden supercar happen rather than proving to YOU he's got a valid purpose to pursue the design. I don't remember the last time I looked at a designer's mission statement for a project and thought to myself "that's the only objective this project can or cannot accomplish." In the end the world may take more from this project than the designer does. I'm sure thomas edison was a cool guy, but It doesn't matter a damn bit whether he designed the lightbulb or if some other guy did, and whether or not it fit their "mission statements." The bulb was created, it did some cool things, that's all that matters.
Design challenges the mind. A wooden car or a better mouse trap. Does not make any difference. It's not about how it can be or if it will be used or if it is practical or not. It is what was learned during the process. Use your mind and learn. Go Joe!! GOOD JOB