Tabletop Water Fountain

Progress

For my final project, I decided to create a tabletop water fountain. I was mainly inspired by minimal and modern architectural aesthetics in creating this design. This aesthetic is mainly characterized by geometry, sleek lines, monochromatic colors, and refined materials. I have always liked this aesthetic and found it to be very fitting for the function that I wanted my design to create.

After deciding on which aesthetic I wanted to go with, I started drafting design ideas using an AI image generator until I found an idea that I liked.

AI-Generated Image

Design Process

After doing some research, I decided that 3D printing would be the optimal and most efficient way to go about this design. I also wanted to 3D print the fountain as a one-piece design, as assembling multiple parts together would be quite difficult to do correctly without the risk of water leakage or structural defects due to water flow. I started modeling the fountain on SolidWorks without making any sketches and just going with what I wanted it to look like based on my aesthetic, the initial draft, and the functionality aspect. At first, I was aiming for a city skyline kind of look with water flowing down from the taller buildings to the smaller ones, but I had to make some adjustments so that I could fit a submersible water pump to create the flow.

Final Design Model

The final design ended up having a more industrial look to it than what I originally intended. Because I wanted the fountain to actually be functional, I decided to make it a solid one-piece design as water is going to be flowing through it, and that could go wrong with separately attached parts. I added slits in the back so I can install a water pump and LED light. The design is being 3D printed right now and should be ready for assembly tomorrow.

Source: (https://www.archdaily.com/932659/minimalist-modern-the-architecture-of-rural-retreats#:~:text=In%20contemporary%20architecture%2C%20minimalism%20combines,movements%2C%20and%20traditional%20Japanese%20architecture.)