Pursuit of perfection:
Design student Joshua Leung said the most difficult task in making his guitar was tuning it. He spent three months modifying it, to make it play like a real guitar.
Pursuit of perfection:
Design student Joshua Leung said the most difficult task in making his guitar was tuning it. He spent three months modifying it, to make it play like a real guitar.
Fashion statement:
Tammy Tam collected pieces of bus seat covers and sewed them into handbags and other accessories.
Fashion statement:
Tammy Tam collected pieces of bus seat covers and sewed them into handbags and other accessories.
Metal maestro:
Kwok Sze-man converted bus handrailings into products like photo frames, mirrors and clocks.
Metal maestro:
Kwok Sze-man converted bus handrailings into products like photo frames, mirrors and clocks.
Water source:
Chan Hiu-lam made an environmentally friendly umbrella stand which can collect water from umbrellas to irrigate pot-plants.
Water source:
Chan Hiu-lam made an environmentally friendly umbrella stand which can collect water from umbrellas to irrigate pot-plants.
New beginning:
Design students learn about upcycling - the process of converting waste or useless items into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value - through the process of design.
New beginning:
Design students learn about upcycling - the process of converting waste or useless items into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value - through the process of design.
Retired 'hot dog' buses reborn
May 19, 2013
Many of Hong Kong’s unairconditioned buses, nicknamed ‘hot dog’ buses in Cantonese due to their heat in summer, were retired years ago after serving local passengers for decades.
Kowloon Motor Bus Company (KMB) has provided parts from these buses to the Hong Kong Design Institute to give students material to transform into useful and creative products.
The project helps students gain valuable design experience, and develops their sense of environmental protection.
Musical memories
Many commuters listen to music on a bus journey. Music-loving design student Joshua Leung had the idea of connecting old buses and music together, by making a guitar from the parts of a hot dog bus, including its wheels, handrails and passenger seats.
“Technology is improving so fast that everyone prefers new things and often abandons old but useful items. But many old things, such as buses, are full of memories. Hot dog buses remind me of music. Both of them can be filled with emotions and memories.”
He said the most difficult task in making his guitar was tuning it. He spent three months modifying it, to make it play like a real guitar. He changed the tension of every string to enhance its performance. His friends doubted whether the guitar could play any melodies, however, Joshua is very happy his idea works.
Fashion statement
Fellow student Tammy Tam used bus parts to design fashion products. She loves working with leather and liked the classic brown colour of the bus’ leather seats. She collected pieces of bus seat covers and sewed them into handbags, Octopus cardholders, and purses. The woven strings are sewed in different patterns, representing the KMB routes.
Kwok Sze-man's memories of taking crowded buses to school gave her the idea to convert bus handrailings into products like photo frames, mirrors and clocks.
“The shape and the grey colour of hot dog bus handrails are unique among local buses. My products keep the appearance of the grey handrails so they can be easily recognised by locals.”
Water conservation
Chan Hiu-lam made a unique umbrella stand with a special purpose.
“On rainy days, wet umbrellas can be put into this stand. The water collected will flow through metallic bars and reach the bottom of the stand to irrigate potted plants. My design reuses rainwater. It is environmentally friendly.”
She thought up the design after seeing wet floors caused by umbrellas, and the plastic umbrella bags given out in shopping malls on rainy days.
The stand is made of different parts from an old hot dog bus, and it strides an old wheel in which pot-plants can be placed.
Design Institute lecturer Wing Chiang said the reuse of bus parts teaches students about upcycling - the process of converting waste or useless items into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value - through the process of design.
“The products are full of surprises. The students have a wide variety of choices to explore design ideas, such as household products, musical instruments and fashion accessories. A lot of splendid designs have come from this project.”
