Joshua Damon

Hello, I’m Joshua Damon, and I’m about to graduate as a product design engineer. My academic journey has been a dynamic adventure, full of experiences and collaborations with remarkable organizations such as Air Services Australia, Engineers Without Borders, MedCorp, Nexans Olex, Swinburne, Turner and Townsend, and T.O.M. These experiences have enriched my knowledge and shaped my approach to engineering.

For my final year engineering project, I set my sights on making a sustainable impact on the construction industry. I created a fully recycled plastic wall solution that matches the density of timber while offering numerous quality of life improvements. This project reflects my commitment to innovative, sustainable solutions that also consider practicality and user experience.

I come from a farming background, which has instilled in me a practical and hands-on approach to engineering. I believe in early prototyping and conducting extensive background research before diving into a project. When it comes to presentations, I am confident and articulate, ensuring that I can effectively communicate complex ideas.

My journey as an engineer has been shaped by a dedication to sustainability and a drive for practicality. I’m not just an engineer; I’m a visionary who believes that engineering can lead the way to a more sustainable future, without compromising on functionality.

Installing the Atlas with help from the Specialized Installation Tool

The installation tool locks itself into place and helps guide the head of the nail gun to drive the nails into the most optimum spot. The installation tool is also leveled and doesn't need to be held once put into place ensuring safe operation of the nail gun.

Plumbing and Electrical Pathways

The post-manufactured holes help save time during wall construction; tradies do not need to cut into noggins with this design. The plumbing solution is to envelop the pipes with a tight-fitting plug which acts as an anti- water hammer. Similarly, the hollow design of the noggin helps wiring pathways and guides wires like junctions along a wall surface.

Cutting to length is a breeze

Initiative ruler marks help make cutting to length easier with one side having 5mm and 10mm guidelines. The other side shows 50mm and 100mm which helps cut to guidelines easier as the noggin is 600mm length and another common length is 450mm for example. So, a user will simply go along 4 100mm notches and one 50mm to cut without grabbing a ruler.

Communcation becomes easier

Wires in the home can be dangerous. This feature helps solve that issue. The centerline of the noggin and the studs feature a two-piece wax communication system. With green wax normally shown indicating safety, when a wire crosses these pathways, it can be sc5ratcghed off revealing red wax which indicates danger. This red will ensure that there is careful behavior around the indicated area.

Works in Conjunction with MGP10

The Atlas system is designed to work in conjunction with the industry standard of construction timber which is MGP10. This helps lessen the environmental impact of timber but also doesn't replace an established industry.

Acknowledgement of Country

The School of Design and Architecture respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and knowledge-keepers of the lands, waters and sky that surround us, where we work, learn, create, communicate and make place. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded and this always was and will always be Wurundjeri Country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who continue to make a better world through design.

We extend our acknowledgement to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students, alumni, real-life clients, and knowledge keepers, who have contributed to our own education diversity and growth. We will continue to ensure that staff and students respectfully honour ancestral connection to Country and Place in everything that they do.

We are dedicated to the notion of design to make a better world and we acknowledge that making tools, shaping place, sharing stories, making meaning, wayfinding and collaborating have long been and continue to be both central and integral to First Peoples' cultures. We recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultural contributions have continued relevance to design practice and commit to: reconciling ancestries of design and contemporary practice as well as pursuing culturally and professionally appropriate ways to engage with a diverse population of colleagues, industries and clients. In a time of treaty-making and voice we understand that there are overlaps between caring for Country and the sustainable production of goods, services, experiences, products and buildings.

Guided by the principles of respect, reconciliation, and reciprocity we undertake to indigenising and decolonising design practice by dismantling colonial structures and challenging biases that have marginalised Indigenous voices and design.

As students of SoDA you will be given opportunities to both engage with and educate yourself in Indigenous creative practices and cultural protocols through a lens of inclusivity, diversity, respect, mutual understanding, inter-cultural dialogue in all aspects of design practice. Indigenous people have been telling stories, making tools, and connecting to Country through visual media, placemaking and place marking for more than 60,000 years and these practices are part of an ongoing, evolving and live tradition.