Filling cracks, getting a fridge, using opensim as a design tool

I spent yesterday patching up the walls with gapfiller, and thinking about how to jazz up the place.

I also got a fridge, a 130l whirlpool bar fridge, again from gumtree, $100.

I then did a bit of research online into 'cool' office designs, looking at companies like Google, Lego, and below, Red Bull, which I quite liked.

I then decided to mock the room up in Opensim so I could play with the color scheme and arrangement of the office without breaking my back.

Here are some images so far.

The side of these walls is supposed to be hessian with some kind of lining underneath(like the left wall in the red bull pic), I checked hessian at Bunnings and it's around $5 per metre(1.8m wide) which seems affordable.

Some more images

The room as it looks today....a bit of a mess! There are still some massive changes to happen, including paint, shelves, and new blinds(these ones are just up for security).

A workstation. This one features a Samsung Laptop from our previous project(Connected Lives), Logitech Alto keyboard stand and keyboard($98), Logitech mouse from previous project, Mouse pad($2), Screen platforms(black tubs, $2) and new 23 inch LG monitors ($175).

My projector collection which may or may not remain as part of the decor.

Project update

Current Thoughts

One of the issues that has required a lot of thought is what do we need in the room, and what don't we need.

For example, we have pretty much decided that the massive whiteboards we got hold of are useless. They are the past - we want the future, which is most likely something like lcd screens above each pair of pcs which allow the students to share their work with the group whenever they choose.

Likewise I had always planned to have a bunch of books(technology, fantasy, science fiction) for the kids to read and borrow. Whilst some of the young people will probably enjoy these, there is the possibility that for others they will be too old fashioned, and that a more suitable form of media might be a, ebook and games library, possibly entirely online.

Thinking about these issues has made it more clear that what we are looking to provide is very high speed internet, on high spec pcs, with top notch software(best windows, games, ebook accounts) and hardware (like mobile phones to keep in touch in between, lcd tvs and share drives to share work). This will give students access to an incredible range of online resources.

The key at the moment seems to be access.

I have called Telstra about getting a new phone line in for internet, it's $129 for installation which actually seems quite reasonable. I am hoping one line is enough, it might be better to have two, both with NakedADSL Connections.

The Name

I came up with the idea of A+(inspired by another Vichealth project) which Stefan likes, possibly in the form 'The A+ Club.' I am not so sure about the word club, and have sent the name to a couple of young people I work with to get their advice. One young man in particular I am hoping can advise us throughout this process, and another younger boy I work with shall be visiting the site soon to give us his (always) objective opinion. It would be great to have the young people involved somehow direct what was purchased for the space.

Good News

It seems like we lucked out a bit with our timing for this project, with our team at VU(headed by Stefan) being a small part of a successful CRC bid by the Inspire Foundation. This has opened up a wide range of new possibilities which we are keen to explore in the new year. In particular we are hoping to get help with the diagnosis and referral of the young people, which is an area we have no expertise in at all. Another area we require assistance with is probably research.

Stefan has also drafted a couple of well written emails explaining what we are aiming to do to all of his connections, and there seems to be a lot of interest.

Whilst it's easy to rent a space and fill it up with desks, chairs and computers, the other side of it at the moment seems to be keeping the level of interest and awareness of what we are doing up within the right circles, something which Stefan is great at.

Purchasing Equipment

We have purchased the following equipment so far;

4 X 23" LG Monitors - msy.com.au - $175 each - $700

4 X Logitech Alto Keyboards/Risers/Hubs - dicksmith.com.au - $100 each - $400

4 X Mousepad - discount store - $8

Water filter/cooler - kmart.com.au - $49 (has already been worth it after one week)

Kettle - kmart.com.au - $12

Fan - kmart.com.au - $12

Security System (I won't list the details here) - $200

Venetian Blinds - Rubbish Collection - FREE(Not so flash but good for security at the moment)

Powerboards and cords - kmart.com.au - $80

Odds and ends -approx $250

From home

Microwave

Printer

Office equipment, stationery

Security camera

Midi Keyboard, video camera with tripod, other electrical goods

Assorted Projectors (for decor, not sure if they suit yet or not)

Books

Clean!

Current thoughts and items to hunt down include;

- Whether we need whiteboards or not, they seem pretty useless, we need lcds where the kids can share their work.

- Mounting the shelves on the walls either side somehow.

- Painting the steel cupboard and cabinet, perhaps dark red and dark orange, they look pretty drab at the moment.

- Blinds.

- Decals or paint for the walls. I like these ones.

- Rugs/carpet.

- Lots and lots of tech gear, lcds, monitors, laptop stands, keyboards, mice, network gear, power gear, and more I can't think of at the moment.

- Lamps(ideally one per table, so 6 at least).

- More decor - it's all still a bit boring.

- Security system.

- Kettle, mugs, cups, tea, coffee, water.

- Bar fridge.

- Stud finder and brackets.

- Internet.

Furnishing

We then set about trying to get our hands on some cheap furniture.

I found the chairs below on gumtree.com.au. It was initially 11 conference chairs for $110($10 each) but when we met them and told them what it was for they offered us a few meeting chairs as well. All up we got 15 chairs for $100. Stefan and Craig helped pick them up and lug them upstairs(not an insignificant task, they were heavy).

I was feeling pretty awesome about that, when Stefan called and told me that Leonie at WERC had spoken to people at VU and there was the possibility of getting some free furniture from the VU furniture store.

I visited the store the following week, which was a massive old house on Geelong Road. Each room was stacked with the remnants of past uni offices, chairs, desks, cabinets, cupboards, shelves, almost everything we needed furniture wise.

We put in a big order the following week, and that Friday it all got delivered. The delivery took 5 guys and a whole lot of stuffing around due to our location, which is on a very busy corner.

I bought them beer as it seemed like the most helpful thing I could do late on a Friday afternoon(I am pretty weak).

So at the end of the week(the fourth since we decided to go for it) we had the following;

11 X conference chairs

4 X meeting chairs

3 X shelves/bookcases

1 X small buffet

2 X large whiteboards

1 X large grey steel cupboard

3 X drafting tables

1 X newer drafting table(different type)

3 X timber meeting tables

1 X small(2 door) filing cabinet

Total cost - $100 for the chairs, plus delivery charges for the rest(approx $300?) - so maybe $400 all up.

We have also spent a bit of money on incidentals;

- Cleaning and deodorising products - $20

- Vacuum cleaner - $49

- Tools (allen keys, screws, screwdriver, hooks, brackets) - $20

- Fan - $12

- 4 Bins - $10

A vacuum today has improved the room marginally, but we might need to consider some rugs.