Cella is a new, creative product designed to bring urban people closer to nature.
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Cella is a new, creative product designed to bring urban people closer to nature.
About this project
INTRODUCING CELLA
Cella is specially constructed of flexible, lightweight plastic to house mosses and small plants. It creates a microclimate that allows them to thrive both indoors and outdoors. Cella is uniquely adaptable in that it can be attached to walls and roofs, or simply stand alone. This portable, self-contained habitat comes in different sizes and can be linked with other units – be creative with your designs!
DESIGN INSPIRATION
We developed Cella from a green roof research project called “Mosspebble” at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. Because moss gathers all of its nutrients from the air, it requires certain levels of wind, shade and moisture. However, it doesn’t need soil. Instead, we observed that moss seems to thrive on rocks and pebbles – their porous surfaces are perfect for growth. This inspired Cella’s unique design. After four years of careful observation and modification, we’ve perfected it to the lightweight, contemporary model you see now.
URBAN LANDSCAPE INNOVATION
Cella’s unique ability to create the optimal microclimate for moss and plug plants make it adaptable to all kinds of environments. The small, organic form of the units make efficient use of space to fit a garden in an urban home or apartment, and can be installed on any surface. There are no limits to your landscaping visions – grow a traditional garden on the floor, or have it climb up the walls and hang from the ceiling. To find out how to put moss into Cella, visit our website: www.ecoid.net
SPECIFICATIONS
Cella is made of UV protected, scratch resistant clear PVC. It also uses a phthalate-free plasticizer, which is safe for all living creatures. These materials enable it to be soft and elastic while still maintaining durability so it can be used time and time again.
- Materials: UV Protected Clear Plastic (PVC)
- Grow Plants: We recommend placing balls of moss or soil, or a similar medium, inside Cella and then planting a seed or a plug-plant within them. Visit www.ecoid.net to find out how.
- Plants: Moss and small plants, anything you want to grow
- Placement: Anywhere; indoors or outdoors
- Growing Season: Year round
- Patented in 2012
Dimensions:
Small (C0009, 2.0"H x 2.0"W x 2.0"D) / Medium (C0012, 2.6"H x 2.5"W x 2.2"D) / Large (C0015, 3.1"H x 2.9"W x 2.4"D)
WHY KICKSTARTER?
In order to make Cella affordable for families all around the world, we need $50,000 to build special molds that will greatly reduce production costs. This includes:
- Upgraded materials
- Longer-lasting reservoir support made with special mold pieces
- New large-scale manufacturer with higher minimum quantities
You could help us share this amazing, sustainable technology with the world. We hope you’ll support our move from a local prototype to a product that has the potential to influence urban nature and provide a sustainable source for the future.
PRODUCTION & SCHEDULE
Cella is mass produced through our manufacturer located in China. Our current production capacity is 1000 Cella per day. Additionally, we have our own cultivation facilities and a laboratory for moss located in Korea, and are trying to build a cultivation system in the US as well.
The basic creation process:
1. Melt the plastic
2. Pour it into the mold
3. Put the mold into the furnace
4. Take the mold out from the furnace and extract Cella
5. Cut holes
With our current equipment, we can only produce one Cella at a time, and have to cut the holes in each one by hand. With your help, we could upgrade our equipment, including adding more molds to the frame and automating the cutting process. This would allow us to make more Cella at a time, as well as ensure uniformity and quality. We hope that by maximizing efficiency, we will also be able to expand our initiative globally.
We’ll ship in Summer 2014. Here's our schedule for Cella delivery:
- May: Finalize manufacturing facility
- June: Place orders
- July: Begin production
- August: Set up package facility
- September: Ship out first batch
- October: Ship out Limited Edition Cella
REWARDS
- CELLA Miniature for rewards is 3D-printed and varies in size and colour. - CELLA Limited edition varies in different colour.
PROFILE
We are entrepreneurs and designers who believe in the power of innovative design. For us, this means thinking outside of the box. We are not afraid to take risks to create new designs that function the way you need them to.
Yongkyu Kim : Founder & Partner, Seoul National University (PhD in Landscape Architecture, ‘08)
Jonghyun Baek : Founder & CEO, Harvard Graduate School of Design (Master of Landscape Architecture, ‘10)
Team CELLA
Michael Hahm: Creative & Interactive Director, http://jhhmichael.com
Amanda Sivaraj: Creative & Strategy Director, http://linkedin.com/in/amandasivaraj
Soo Kim: Graphic Designer, http://www.soookim.com
Special Thanks
Niall Kirkwood: Professor of Landscape Architecture and Technology at the Harvard Graduate School of Design
We appreciate your unconditional mentoring from the very beginning.
Risks and challenges
We founded ecoid in early October 2010, and are excited to launch our very first product, Cella, after four years of comprehensive research and testing. We are extremely proud of our innovative and sustainable design, and hope you are too.
We've built a strong partnership with an experienced manufacturer to mitigate as many risks as possible, but we know there may still be unexpected challenges along the way. We will always be transparent and will inform our backers of any hurdles, should they crop up.
SHIP DATE
We have built in extra time for the manufacturing process and are confident we will ship by the projected dates. However, if things take longer than planned, we will inform you immediately.
MANUFACTURING
We have established relationships with experienced contract manufacturers to mitigate the risk of delays by material suppliers, and to ensure quality control is implemented at the highest level. We have built test prototypes with our manufacturers, and they fully understand our product, specifications and production timeline.
You will be the first to know if there are any unexpected delays. Rest assured that we will work hard to follow through with our obligations to you.
Learn about accountability on KickstarterFAQ
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At the moment it only comes in white, but we are hoping to introduce a variety of colors soon.
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Yes. Cella uses a phthalate-free plasticizer, which is safe for all living beings.
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Cella is made of durable, UV protected, scratch resistant clear PVC. It is long-lasting and can be used both indoors and outdoors. However, you can cut Cella easily with scissors if you wish.
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If you place Cella with moss outdoors, you don’t have to water it at all. Cella works with the natural environment to create a microclimate that allows moss to thrive. If you wish to place it indoors, we recommend you water it 2-3 times a week to accelerate growth, although moss can survive for up to a year without water.
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You can easily find many kinds of moss growing naturally near your home. We have a few companies in partnership cultivating moss at the moment, and we are trying to build international delivery system to provide moss that will make Cella even more user-friendly.
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For outdoor use, we recommend you make a frame using steel wires or wood, or buying one from your local hardware store. For indoor use, you could use strong adhesive tape or a glue gun. We are currently developing attaching units for Cella.
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Using cable ties is our favorite method of connecting Cella together. However, Cella welcomes your creativity and you can always try other methods to connect them.
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It depends on the size of the Cella you’re using.
Large size (C0015): Around 170
Medium size (C0012): Around 230
Small size (C0009): Around 360
A mix of sizes: Around 250
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Funding period
- (33 days)