Presentation Reflection

On Monday the final proposals were presented to four members of Auckland Transport. I used my prototype painted foam model and my 594 mm x 1500 mm presentation panel to aid the communication of my design to the panel.

The script I used can be found at the bottom of this post.

So far we haven't had any official feedback on how our concepts were received. I only had one question to answer regarding the suitability of the "Mr Bean Spotlight", which I resolved by answering it was for novelty or special events such as a lead up to Eden park for example. I'm assuming the less questions, the better. I didn't get any response to my "future proposal" sound bars concept but that is okay as it was only an extra add in to show I can think forward.

I do think this was one of my better presentations - and the hard work I put in with my 2D and 3D communication probably helped the panel understand my proposal better. Key verbal points I made included the mention of the murder on Queens Ave in 2014, and mentioning I had talked to Bruce and Diana from Halston road who were keen on my design. Definitely learnt the power of the "Ethos-Logos-Pathos" psychology tool that I failed to use well in my very first presentation.

Hopefully the panel see some value in my proposal and something comes out of it!

Presentation script as per below:

This, is a face of an innocent man. On the night of the second of march 2014 Marqbool Hassain was murdered silently in the darkness on Queens Avenue in Balmoral by an unseen attacker on the footpath. The attacker was convicted, but his accomplice was never charged. This accomplice, was darkness.

The side streets on dominion road are pitch black, street lights are 30m apart and the lights only focus in the road. On Halston road there are only streetlights on one side of the road and only four of these work. People are vulnerable to strangers they can't see. Uneven ground and slippery wet autumn leaves are invisible hazards on the footpath at night. I'm proposing a practical, transferable and retrofittable light that clips onto all existing street poles on the dominion road side streets, and the corridor itself. This will illuminate dark footpaths to increase the perception of safety and personal security. This system is named sentinel.

There's 4 main components. First adaptable braces fit to square and circle street poles. The main housing holds an internal ammeter to relay existing voltage from street poles, and includes a triple lithium battery for backup. It attaches to the brace with this locking mechanism and is secured with a simple screw for security. A cover on top of the housing blocks all upward light and prevents light shining into homes, therefore zero light pollution. Thin film solar panels in the wings provide self sufficient power. Lastly a throwaway self contained lighting component clicks in and out of the housing for when the bulbs need replacing. This removes the cost of replacing the whole body.

There are two lighting options - a cool white led floodlight that fully illuminates the footpath. This light spreads 8-10 m either side of the street pole, using a reflective white coating inside the shell to distribute light further. The other option is a metal halide spotlight that creates a Mr bean spotlight effect. People can use these spotlights on the side streets to follow the breadcrumbs down to dominion road. This whole system uses tool free maintenance which saves on skilled labour costs. It is transferable from pole to pole where ever it is needed. The raw estimated cost is about $300 per light, and gets cheaper as more are made in mass production.

I've shown my proposal to locals Bruce Parr and Diana Elliot who live on Halston road. They think this lighting system would be highly beneficial on their street. I have contact details if need be.

By the way this solution can be carried forward to illuminate bus shelters with an interactive lighting installation. This is a picture of a Dominion Road bus stop. I propose the sentinel lights attach to street poles either side of the shelter to light the area. Futhermore a simple microphone can be attached to the shelter, which picks up the noises on the street and separates them into high and low frequencies. The sounds are visually replayed on a white led strip lighted panel with soundbars like this. The panel can be used for advertising during the day which will cover the incurred costs. The system is powered off the local grid and would cost around $4000. This installation is temporary and reinstate able to other bus stops.​