Benjamin Hecht\'s Design Portfolio

TORTUE
Concept
DESIGN

Benjamin Hecht
2009

Benjamin Hecht | - Design - Photography - Architecture -

Harbor Industries is a family owned and
operated, point of purchase display de-
sign and manufacturing firm. They dis-
tribute their products primarily within the
United States.

I worked as a design intern at Harbor for
two seasons. I participated on a variety
of projects as part of a small design and
engineering team, and I worked on mul-
tiple client accounts. One of my projects
is displayed here. It is a concept I did for
Harbor’s Sears / Whirlpool account.

As the concept designer in our team, I
had the opportunity to follow the design
through the many steps leading to com-
pletion of a full scale prototype. I truly
enjoyed the time that I spent working in
close contact with Harbor’s sales repre-
sentatives, designers, engineers as well as
the samples crew who helped me build
the models which you can see on the fac-
ing page.

On the facing page: Top to bottom right. This is
a photo of the models I created to be sent with
the sales team to Sears to be considered for their
problem of increasing flow area in the sales area.
Bottom Left: This swing unit was a concept of
mine that reduced the space that 12 cook tops
would normally take and now fits into the space
that 2 would occupy on the sales floor. Bottom
Right: The bottom unit in the dishwasher units
seen in this picture were designed by another per-
son in the firm, my job was to retrofit the display
so that a cook top would fit into the top of the ex-
isting unit , and also left room for advertisements,
pricing and product options.

Concept Design Internship

Breach, is a simple, multi function chair that can be used in a variety of environments. The
chair is comprised of four flat pieces of American Maple and four ply pegs. This chair answered
a very simple question for me; where did my chair go? I had to replace the chair in my studio
after it disappeared one morning and this piece pushed my work one step closer to a simpli-
fied and sleek product. Breach can be packed flat reducing the space taken for storage and
packaging. Its construction method is very simple as it is a simple slot-together design. I have
planned this design to be constructed with many different materials in mind. For outdoor use
black granite slabs, for the home American maple or Walnut and in the office a treated ma-
hogany.
70 cm
10 cm

50 cm 40 cm
52 cm

12 cm

Breach 20 cm
Benjamin Hecht
Senior Design Project
55 cm
Exploded Plan

Parsons Senior Project

Reclined is my longest running project
and has evolved during all of the changes
in my design style during my four years at
Parsons Paris. I enjoyed working on it as a
long term project, and I really enjoyed mak-
ing the full scale prototype for my senior
gallery show. The entire concept behind
Reclined is that visualy it takes the form of a
reclined woman. Each of the images which
I have provided here serve as illustration of
the concept.

The top photo on the facing page is my
first concept of the couch. The complexity
of its construction drove me to simplify its
design, yet I have kept the designs as I am
very satisfied with the result of my de-
signed form. From the first design concept
I moved to a more simple piece that was
comprised of four fabric pieces rather than
five complex slot units. After I construced
the prototype I yet again set out to simplify
the design which can be seen in the bot-
tom photo of the facing page. I continued
Reclined as a post graduation project and
I feel as though I have arrived at a final
product. The finalised piece has a carbon
fibre constructed frame finished with white
brushed lamb leather. The look is similar to
the constructed prototype and will occupy
the same 2 meter by 1 meter space.


Susjension is a piece of sculptural furniture which put my facination with suspension
bridges and physics to the test. My inspiration for this piece comes from two areas of my
life at the time. During the time that I was building this piece I was going through a rough
patch with my significant other. My interest in the Millau bridge in Millau France, gave
me the aesthetic and physical inspiration that I needed to push this piece into produc-
tion. This piece is made of 2 towers of treated American maple as well as one triangular
saddle which surmounts the piece. The anchorage pulls tension accross the base and the
back rest providing the needed tension for a person to sit in complete comfort, as demon-
strated above. The piers of the chair are not fixed to the ground, although had they been
the amount of weight which could be sustained would dramatically increase. I have hopes
that this piece could be refined into a manufacturable product, as it stands now it is a site-
specific work of art.


Leaf is the flagship of the Lagoon Series, and is the base model for my design style during my senior
year. The design of the table is based on the organic make-up of a leaf. As the majority of my work
takes inspiration from the natural world this was an instinctive design move for me. Leaf changed my
design process from the academic way in which I was taught, to a reversed method which I find to suit
my creative imagination. Creating the three dimensional prototype before a design is rendered, makes
it easier for me to conceptualize the finalized product (seen on the facing page). This table is made of
American maple, and has a slot-together construction method. It is designed to be used through out
the home as an end table, a night stand, or as an entry table. Like the rest of my products, this table is
made from a single piece of American maple, which allows it to be packed flat for storage, distribution
and retail purposes, as well as cutting down on scrap or unused wood.
66.5cm
95cm

95cm
66.5cm

1m
Leaf 88 cm
Benjamin Hecht
Exploded Plan


Lagoon is the sister piece to my Leaf table, as a continuation of my series that uses the
natural world for inspiration. The design of the table is based on the look of a lagoon. It
is low to the ground and is wide like a body of water, making it by design a coffee table.
Like the rest of my products this table is made from a single piece of American maple,
which allows it to be packed flat for storage, distribution and retail purposes, as well as
cutting down on scrap or unused wood. This product is made with 3 interlocking wood
pieces and similar to Leaf, was constructed and designed using my new design process.
Of the set of work which I did for my senior critique and show, Lagoon was my favorite
piece. This piece shows elegance through simplicity, my main objective in my design and
style.

1.5m

1.1m 1.2m 90cm

Lagoon
Benjamin Hecht
Exploded Plan


The Vertical Stasis System Physical Therapy Bed (VSS) is a prototype which I am currently
working on. On the facing page you can see the design brief which I have prepared and
above is the original concept drawing of the unit. H.R. Geiger is one of my biggest inspira-
tions, and I am very happy to say that this piece was concieved from the inspiration of his
work in the Alien movie series. The VSS is designed with the potential to be used in many
different life environments. However, health care and hospitals will be the main focus for
distribution. It has been designed to relieve physical stress for patients suffering from cra-
nial, kneck, back and upper body injuries. It incorporates inflateable bladders that can isolate
an area of pain. The climate control system built into the unit can change the temperature
in each bladder individually, providing the patient and doctor with the ability to relieve the
pain not only with pressure but temperature fluctuation as well. The bladders are inflated
when the patient is in a seated position giving them the support they need when VSS is
elevated up onto the wall for an extended period of time. The door of the unit is fitted with a
padded face opening, used both as a support system for the head, and to allow the patient
to feel as though they arent closed in a box. When the patient’s face is placed in the opening,
the internal unit is closed off to external noises from the room. Two audio speakers are in-
corporated in the VSS which can be plugged into a TV, an iPOD or anything with an auxilary
output. VSS offers solutions to several problems within the hospital environment. It uses
minimal space and, potentially decreases the amount of time a patient may need to stay in
the hospital for serious injuries. Aside from its application within a hospital, the VSS can be
purchased for use in the home. VSS can provide the client with a relaxing massage and a
quiet place to sleep or nap.


Wigwam is a fully self sustainable home with a
unique design. The home itself is constructed on
site, and can be bult in a much shorter amount
of time than a normal house as it uses a slotting
construction method. The two exposed floors
are constructed in pieces on site using a shaker
style timber frame building technique. I selected
this for its speed and durability in construction.
The house is built using two large reinforced
cement pylons which will be assembled and
pourred on site, then raised into a vertical posi-
tion. After the pylons are raised into place a hole
is dug and the bottom two floors are pourred
along with the spiral staircase (seen to the right).
Once the basement is finished, it is buried and
a large cistern pool is pourred above it. A glass
cylinder is dropped in around the stair case and
closes it off to the cistern. Finally, the two top
floors can be slotted into place, and the top two
stories of the staircase can be fitted.

The Wigwam
The Lagoon Series
Residence and Studio Once the house is finished, the sustainable
Self Sufficient
Re-Enforced Cement
elements are added. On the roof, polycrys-
taline photovoltaic panels sit on top of
Constructed Frame

Cedar Weather Treated Wood Plank
Constructed Dwelling

12 Solar Panels and 1 Purification Centre
Offer the dwelling self sufficient capabilities

Centralized Staircase
highly succulent ground cover. This ground
Offers access to each of the 5 floors
cover acts similarly to that of a wetland in
that it purifys the water passing through it.
The water that passes through this roof top
garden is water from the sinks and show-
Architect - Benjamin Hecht
Senior Final Project
ers, but then is sent back down through
the house to a purifiction system in the
Lagoon Series Residence
02/02/09

basement which makes it completely po-
The floor and cieling construction plan view

table once again. All of the raw sewage is
The first piece of the Wigwam frame is put into place.
pumped into an underground system that
extends below the lawn and vegitable gar-
den. There it can be used as fertalizer while
The Rain Catch Basin and the Stairwell are cast and put into place.

The basement levels are dug out and finished.

not leaking fumes into the air.
The wood construction is done on site, then slid into place
within the Wigwam frame. The construction method on elevation 01-a


Ameba is a project that I undertook to send into “Dwell” magazine for a contest that they
hosted to solve the energy crisis in a suburban environment. The house is constructed
completely of locally available materials. Each of the windows are curved double paned
plate glass. Between the panes drawn curtains run on a track that is driven by the roof top
solar panel for privacy. The system seen below shows a simple natural purification system
which works similarly to the water purification system in the Wigwam house. It incorpo-
rates a system that replicates a natural wetland and utilises a solar powered pump that
circulates the water back into the home. I have simplified and miniaturised the unit to fit
onto the home like an evestrough. The recycle unit runs allong the edge of the home and
is coupled into its four rooftop gardens providing the home with a full purification sys-
tem. The large disc shaped solar panel on the roof serves both as a roof feature, and as the
home’s main source of electrical energy. A panel this size is capable of running the kitchen
appliances, living room entertainment system, and office electronics without an issue. All
of the componets fit easily into a modern living environment.

Project for “Dwell” Magazine’s Reburbia Contest

TORTUE
DESIGN

Patterning and Logo Design

Benjamin Robert Hecht
30 Rue Des Cordelieres | 75013 | Paris, FR
101 Washington St. | 49417 | Grand Haven, MI USA
E-Mail | benhecht85@gmail.com

Work | Parsons-Paris School of Art and Design
Experience Fall Semester 2008 | Photography Lab Technician
14 Rue Latellier | Paris | France | 75015

Harbor Industries Inc.
Winter Break 2007 & Summer Break 2008 | Internship as a Concept Designer
-Designed concepts for multiple point of purchase display units two of which were
sold to SEARS and are used to display Whirlpool products throughout the midwest
region of the United States

Tip-A-Few Tavern
Summer Break 2007 | Wait Staff
1 Franklin St | Grand Haven | MI | 49417 USA

Les Tapies (TASIS Summer Program)
Summer Break 2005 | Asistant Architecture Instructor & Photo Lab Technician
Les Tapies | St. Pierreville | Ardeche | France | 07190

TASIS England
Spring and Fall Semester 2004-2005 | Photography Lab Technician
20 Coldharbour Ln | Thorpe | Surrey | TW20-8TE | United Kingdom

Grand Haven Golf Course
Summer Break 2002 | Golf Cart Maintenance and Caddy
Grand Haven Twp. | MI | 49417 | USA

Volunteer | Habitat for Humanity and Christ Community Church | Spring Lake, MI USA
Experience Helped families and refurbished homes for the residents in a community on Staten
Island | New York, New York USA (Summer 2002)

Refurbished homes and properties, and built outdoor shelters for the Lakota Native
American tribe at the Pine Ridge Reservation | South Dakota USA (Summer 2003)

International Scouting Community
Participated in an international Scouting Jamboree, and cleanup exercise at the
Normandy D-Day Beaches in the north of France (Spring 2008)

Awards | Eagle Scout, Award Recieved | Summer 2004
FAWCO Scholarship | Awarded for 2005 Year of University
International Honours Orchestra | 2 years membership
Holland Area Youth Orchestra | 3 years membership

Activities | Visiting Galleries and Museums, Building models, Drawing, Bicycle Repair, Video
Games, Legos, Photography, Collecting Vintage Electronics, Cello, Building my
Music Collection, Civil War Re-Enacting, Building and Flying RC Aircraft, Building
and Driving RC Cars, Reading & Philosophy

Hobbies | Music, Golf, Bicycling, Board Sports, Boating, Ice Hockey, Photography, Art,
History, Philosophy, Architecture, Technical Design and Engineering. I have played
the cello for thirteen years in five different orchestras, and I have been playing
independently for the past four years.

This portfolio is a collection of the design and architecture work
that I have completed during the time which I spent studying at
Parsons-Paris.

Benjamin Hecht EMail
FRANCE

La Village de Dio benhecht85@gmail.com
34650, Languedoc
France
Mobile +33676525120

Benjamin Hecht
101 Washington St.
U.S.A.

Grand Haven, MI
49417
United States of America

Mobile +016164052295
Home +016168427798

Benjamin Hecht
1 Snells Wood Court
U.K.

Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire
HP7-9QT
United Kingdom

Mobile +447792883576

I have no association with Adobe, Canon, Apple and Kodak I simply use their products. Logos
for Adobe, Canon, Apple and Kodak are used purely for accreditation purposes only. Graduate of
Parsons-Paris (BFA Fine Arts) May of 2009. Tortue Creative Concept Design is a Registered Trade
Mark to protect all the images and products within, in the above document. All rights are reserved.

Benjamin Hecht\'s Design Portfolio

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