Responsive Environments | Harvard GSD | Spring 2014 by REAL Harvard GSD

REAL CITIES GUANGZHOU

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENTS

REAL CITIES | guAngzhou

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENTS

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

REAL CITIES | guAngzhou

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENTS

REA Lab Seminar| Fall 2014 Harvard University Graduate School of Design Prof. Allen Sayegh Stefano Andreani 3

Published by The Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Copyright 2014, The President and Fellow of Harvard College. All rights are reserved. No part may be produced without permission. Printed and bound in the USA by Harvard In-Plant Print & Mail. Design & Editing: Stefano Andreani The Harvard University Graduate School of Design is a leading center for education, information and technical expertise on the built environment. Its departments of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning and Design offer masters and doctoral degree programs and also provide the foundation for Advanced Studies and Executive Education programs. The information contained in this document (including all images) is part of an internal white paper report that may be covered by the international laws on copy righted material, intended only for the use of those involved in the research initiative between REAL at Harvard GSD and the South China University of Technology. Any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication beyond the aforementioned individuals is strictly prohibited. 4

CONTENTS Introduction

Design Challenge

1. Star Labyrinth

2. iGarden

3. Reflected Light Cloud

111

4. The Gaze

139

5. H2.O

171

Research Team

INTRODUCTION REAL Cities The Responsive Environments and Artifacts Lab (REAL) at Harvard Graduate School of Design is a research lab that pursues the design of digital, virtual, and physical worlds as an indivisible whole. It recognizes the allpervasive nature of digital information and interaction at scales ranging from our bodies to the larger urban contexts we occupy and the infrastructures that support them. REAL takes an interdisciplinary look at the design of the physical environment from the lens of technologically augmented experiences. Putting the human being at the center and forefront, from the micro (bodily sensors, smart product design) to the macro (information infrastructures, communication frameworks), researchers at REAL examine the emerging ways in which technology fuses into the ways we live, work, and play. What kind of interfaces embrace our social, cultural, and natural landscapes? How does mediated matter permeate our environments, our surroundings, and our personal space? What experiences are truly physical, and what are truly digital today? How can we design for an audience that is rapidly adopting new technologies and what approaches can we take to embody responsiveness in our design decisions?

In this context, “REAL Cities” is a research initiative that employs a design-led approach for understanding how new technologies and digital augmentation affect different aspects of the built environment and of our everyday life. Leveraging on a network of research hubs worldwide, the goal of “REAL Cities” is to pursue research and generate new knowledge through comparative analysis and studies of different cities worldwide. In relation to pressing problems of contemporary cities, the research agenda of “REAL Cities” embraces strategic topics that constitute the research framework within which specific issues of each city would be tackled. The ultimate objective of “REAL Cities” is to develop a research ecosystem that would connect a variety of cities worldwide, fostering the creation of innovation thorough strategic design-led methods. Prof. Allen Sayegh Director, Responsive Environments and Artifacts Lab

REAL develops a design-led approach and understanding of the new media methods, technologies, and techniques that envelope different aspects of our everyday life. 7

dIgITal lONgEVITy EMbOdIEd RESPONSIVENESS PERcEPTION IdENTITy augMENTaTION 8

REAL Cities | GUANGzHOU REAL pursues the design of digital, virtual and physical worlds as an indivisible whole. It recognizes the allpervasive nature of digital information and interaction at scales ranging from our bodies to the larger urban contexts we occupy and the infrastructures that support them. Research topics that are of multi-year interest to the lab include the following: a. DIGITAL LONGEVITY/TECHNOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY In a context where digital and technological inventions are generated at increasingly rapid pace, the question of digitally and technologically driven design interventions becomes very pertinent especially when it is being integrated and juxtaposed with a built environment that has a very predictable lifespan

c. PERCEPTION vs IDENTITY The objective is to evaluate the threshold between what is the perceptual message delivered by the city and what is its actual â&#x2C6;&#x2019; cultural, social, urban â&#x2C6;&#x2019; identity. The research investigates the technology that we can use to simulate, alter and augment our senses, tackling the perception/identity dichotomy of contemporary cities. d. AUGMENTATION This topic looks at the digital world in the light of the physical one and vice versa, questioning what are the aspects of an event or an object that when transformed to digital becomes more interesting and what kind of physical substitutions are necessary. And what is the most effective and efficient technological augmentation to make the outcome smarter and more enjoyable.

The questions asked address the relationship between design and new technologies, and how they can be employed in the built environment in ways that make them lasting for a long time. b. EMBODIED RESPONSIVENESS This topic looks at the relationship between the individual, space and perception in order to develop body-centric environments. Structures and spaces are envisioned as active as well as integrated, derived, complemented or dependent on the human input.

DESIGN CHALLENGE GUANGzHOU

HAIxINSHA ISLAND

Located on the Pearl River, about 120 km (75 mi) north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is the third largest Chinese city and southern China’s largest city. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 12.78 million. Some estimates place the population of the entire Pearl River Delta Mega City built up area as high as 40 million including Shenzhen (10.36 million), Dongguan (8.22 million) and most parts of Foshan (7.19 million), Jiangmen (4.45 million), zhongshan (3.12 million) and a small part of Huizhou adjoining Dongguan and Shenzhen, with an area of about 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 sq mi).

The project site is located in the Haixinsha Island at the south of the zhujiang New Town in Guangzhou. Surrounded by the Pearl River to the south and the new central business center (CBD) to the north, the large site lays as an intersection between a pedestrian and water axis.

This scenario reflects a global trend: the world’s mega-cities are merging to form vast “mega-regions” which may stretch hundreds of kilometres across countries and be home to more than 100 million people. In this context, China is said to soon become the world’s largest economy of the world. But the fast and relentless changes of this immense country induce an inertia which should lead to a strategic equilibrium between immediate reaction and medium and long term visions for the Chinese cities. Rapid economic development and urbanization have had significant impacts on China’s land resources, energy, environmental and agricultural production, with significant consequences to the quality of the built environments. In this sense, a strategic use of design technology can offer meaningful opportunities for the future development of Guangzhou in the context of Chinese astonishing growing.

The pedestrian axis flanked on either side by iconic buildings such as the Guangzhou Twin Towers, the Guandong Museum and the Guangzhou Opera House. Even though the site is at the end of this boulevard, the urban fabric frays right at the beginning of the site. This axis is marked again on the facing shore with the Canton Tower at the south. The island was used as garrison and warehouses of the People’s Liberation Army until the local government decided it was to be redeveloped and transformed into the venue of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Asian Games. The future of the island is the design challenge of the REAL Lab seminar at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (Spring 2014). Students were asked to rethink the island not only in terms of their program, but also in relation to the implications of a technology-driven design intervention to the city of Guangzhou and to their citizens.

DESIGN WORKSHOP South China University of Technology Guangzhou, China March 9-15, 2014 15

1 18

STaR labyRINTh Olga Mesa Ling-Li Tseng Yingyi Wang 19

1|DESIGN MANIFESTO The question of how we perceive our environment and appropriate it is at the core of the design fields. Likewise, the role technology plays in redefining how we perceive our world, make sense of it and reshape it. Augmenting or repressing the perception of our reality are themes at the core of several interactive environments. Is it possible to re-invent the mode in which we perceive and use the digital tools that we have at our disposal? Instead of becoming inhibited perceptually by their proliferation (Holl 40), as Steven Holl’s warned us, redefine our physical world by using them meaningfully. In this manifesto, we would like to argue that responsive technologies constitute a design tool like any other. Full of inherent limitations and generative possibilities, digital tools can manipulating one’s perception of our physical and tactile world. They can be used to relate perception to interaction, material to meaning. However, this does not happen inevitably as the use of digital tools is often deployed for novelty’s sake. Instead we need to use a different model. One related to a sort of “embodied responsiveness”, where perceiving our environment and shaping it reveal our meaningful interpretations. To talk about embodied responsiveness, it is important to remember Merleau-Ponty”s writings about embodiment in his book “Phenomenology of Perception”: “I start from unified experience and from there acquire, in a secondary way, consciousness

of a unifying activity when, taking up an analytical attitude, I break up perception into qualities and sensations, and when, in order to recapture on the basis of these the object into which I was in the first place blindly thrown, I am obliged to suppose an act of synthesis which is merely the counterpart of my analysis.” Merleau-Ponty, Maurice. Phenomenology of Perception. 1945 Merleau-Ponty claims that perception is essential to experiencing and understanding the world around us, and stresses that its rational translation is difficult because perception typically remains beneath consciousness. (Seamon 2) Furthermore, Ponty’s main offering about human perception is to rethinking it “phenomenologically by “reawakening the basic experience of the world…”(PhP viii) and in doing so, bringing it to a conscious awareness; making sense of it. This description about perception resonates with the images of a “tower and a labyrinth” and a conversation with professor Kyna Leski about the spatial relationships between these two architectural archetypes, how we perceive them and associate them to cognitive processes. From inside a labyrinth, one experiences its nooks and passageways directly. One can touch and smell its walls, get lost in them while trying to get oriented. From the tower however, the labyrinth looks like a pattern. A plan that can be solved mentally. From within, the labyrinth offers a bodily experience, but without the clarity provided by the advantageous 21

position of being higher up looking down. In that sense, by approaching a plan view, where lines represent true measurements, the tower offers a more objective representation. As a counterpart, by placing the subject in a perspectival view, the labyrinth offers a more subjective experience. These two different modes of perceiving the same object and gaining an understanding of it by going back and forth mentally and experientially relate to Marleau-Ponty’s ideas of bringing experience to a more conscious state by “re-awakening” our approach towards it. The perception of the world around us hinges upon the scale and point of view by which we access it and de-familiarizing ourselves with the experiences of the everyday allows us to enter them in a completely new way. Designing spaces has the potential of engaging in this type of conversation within our own environment. How can our designs mediate between these different modes of perception and enable meaningful interpretations? In his essay “Questions of Perception. Phenomenology of Architecture”, Steven Holl talks about how Architecture “by unifying foreground, middle ground, and distant views, ties perspective to detail and material to space.” (Holl 41) Holl, describes how architecture has the potential of engaging in one instant, the complexities of traveling through space. Even though experiencing space can be described as series of unfolding overlapping instances that evolve with time, in a particular instance of architecture, those experiences are brought together. As a result, not only the physical realm is engaged, but also mental constructs are juxtaposed from where new meanings emerged. 22

In an city, we move back and forth from advantageous points of view to being fully immersed. Contemplating the city from a highrise gives us a different understanding than moving through its streets. Steven Holl argues that bringing these experiences together is paramount to achieve a “complete perception” (Holl 42). Furthermore, he identifies the intentionality embedded in the architectural work (Holl 41) as that which confers its meaning to the understanding of our environment. “Empirically we might be satisfied with a structure as a purely physical-spatial entity but, intellectually and spiritually, we need to understand the motivations behind it...This duality of intention and phenomena is like the interplay between objective and subjective or, more simply, thought and feeling. The challenge for architecture is to stimulate both inner and outer perception; to heighten phenomenal experience while simultaneously expressing meaning; and to develop this duality in response to the particularities of site and circumstance.” (Holl 42) This also applies when using digital tools to implement our designs or originate them. The physical and the digital are not so far from each other in that regard. In fact, quite a bit of our digital environment has been modeled based on our understanding of the physical world around us. Several digital innovations have been developed taking as starting points other analog ways used to represent reality. Likewise, the physical and digital environments have not only influenced, but also evolved in response to one another. As such, the potential of challenging each other is unavoidable. Making an impact with them is guided by the similar considerations of physical ones. An embodied resposiveness is

then understood as a digital sensibility that can be developed in understanding the environment around us. The necessity of intentionality to achieve meaning is crucial in reshaping it and the potential of these tools to de-familiarize ourselves with the quotidian holds a promise to gaining a new understanding of our contexts. The responsive feedback loop between digital and physical and subjective and objective understandings begins to blur their boundaries. In the dialogue of our perception of reality , its representation and remaking of reality we engage in constructing new meanings.

REFERENCES Andréhn-Schiptjenko, Stockholm, Galerie Perrotin, and 313 Art Project, Seoul. Web. 02/2014 <http://www. veilhan.net/bo/medias/download/cible_1375122284. pdf>. Bullivant, Lucy. Responsive Environments : Architecture, Art and Design. London :New York: V&A ;Distributed in North America by Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 2006. Print. Diprose, Rosalyn, and Jack Reynolds 1976-. MerleauPonty : Key Concepts. Stocksfield: Acumen, 2008. Print. Holl, Steven, Juhani Pallasmaa, and Alberto Pérez Gómez 1949-. Questions of Perception : Phenomenology of Architecture. Tokyo: E ando Yu, 1994. Print. Pallasmaa, Juhani. The Eyes of the Skin : Architecture and the Senses. Chichester :Hoboken, NJ: WileyAcademy ;John Wiley & Sons, 2005. Print. The Thinking Hand : Existential and Embodied Wisdom in Architecture. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley, 2009. Print. Photoshop CS2 Savy. By Stephen Romaniello Chapter 1. The foundations of Photoshop “Allan Kaprow”. Journal of Contemporary Art, Inc. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008.

2|SITE/CONTEXT ANALYSIS The site is located in the Haixinsha Island at the south of the zhujiang New Town in Guangzhou. Surrounded by the Pearl River to the south and the new central business center (CBD) to the north, the large site lays as an intersection between a pedestrian and water axis. The pedestrian axis flanked on either side by iconic buildings such as the Guangzhou Twin Towers, the Guandong Museum and the Guangzhou Opera House. Even though the site is at the end of this boulevard, the urban fabric frays right at the beginning of the site. At the site, there is no sense of a pedestrian scale. This axis is marked again on the facing shore with the Canton Tower at the south. Curiously, although the site is in the Haixinsha Island, the presence of the waterfront is not truly experienced when visiting the site. The remnants of the 2010 Asian Olympics Games left disrupted not only the city fabric, but also turned its back to the waterfront. Having a great fluvial system that extends its tributaries of the Pearl River into the main land, Guangzhou has a developed system of water transportation. Unfortunately there is not a stop to the site during the day time. This fact disconnects the Haixinsha island from the activity happening at the water edge during the day. Due to these conditions, the site lays barren most of the time, with its turning its back to the water, uninviting the passerby to dwell.

EARLY RESEARCH

TEAM A

BACKGROUND OF GZ

water bus route

Haixinsha Island Jinshazhou

LIE DE CHUNG

TUNG HO CHUNG

LIUHUA LAKE Tanwei Ruyifang LIWAN LAKE Huangsha Shiweitang

Xiti

Tianzi

YANGTAO PARK

DONGSHAN LAKE Haixinsha

Haichuang Dayuanshuaifu

PEARL RIVER

Aozhou

Canton tower

Zhong Da Fangcun

Yongxingjie

Yuzhou

HAIZHU CHUNG Chantgzhou Xinzhou

Taigucang

HUADI RIVER

Shenjing

HAIZHU LAKE

S11

CENTER LAKE PARK

Fluvial system and water transportation routes

S12

Huangpu

RESEARCH

TEAM B

PLANNING DEVELOPMENT OF ZHUJIANG NEW TOWN

GUANGZHOU NEW TOWN AXIS RESEARCH & URBAN DESIGN TONGJI UNIVERSITY YANLING PARK

GUANGZHOU EAST RAILWAY STATION CICIT TOWER TIANHE SPORTS CENTER 6 KM HUACHENG PLAZA

ZHUJIANG NEW TOWN (CBD)

HAIXINSHA ISLAND CANTON TOWER

6 KM

In April 1999, the Guangzhou municipal government commissioned Tongji Univers for the studies of the new urban central axis of Guangzhou, decided to build a 12km long new urban central axis, start from YanLing park at the north endpoint, south t out channel of pearl river. Zhujiang New Town is becoming an important section o new urban central axis This study use the design method of spatial axis , make the context of integral spac Guangzhou being more clear. This study preliminarily established the overall struct of the Zhujiang New Town, given priority to the north-south axis, multi-level public space connect with each other.

PLANNING EVENTS

Guangzhou New Town Axis Research & Urban Design. 路 Tongji University Guangzhou New Town Axis - Zhujiang New Town Area Urban Design. 路 SCUT

1987 1993

1999

2001

2003

2005

2010 2006

2013 2

2009

Land Axis

Water Axis

In the Haixinsha Island, the presence of the waterfront is not truly experienced when visiting the site. The remnants of the 2010 Asian Olympics Games left disrupted not only the city fabric, but also turned its back to the waterfront.

INTERSECTION OF WATER AxIS AND PEDESTRIAN AxIS

In the intersection between water and pedestrian axes Star Labyrinth mediates our urban and bodily experience in Haixinsha Island.

BETWEEN URBAN AND BODILY ExPERIENCE 30

3|DESIGN CONCEpT Our project was inspired by the idea behind “the tower and the labyrinth” as a metaphor for the different perspectives from which to experience a city. We sought to respond to these different ways of perceiving, according to different scales, and mediate them by addressing both urban and bodily experiences. In addition to tackling a sensorial realm, this project aims to address the historical and physical context inherent to its site. Although our project is in the Haixinsha Island, the awareness of being at the waterfront is currently not evident. The remnants of the 2010 Asian Games left disrupted the city fabric of Guangzhou, and the island was left with its back turned away from the water. Therefore, a major design decision was to acknowledge the island’s privileged position; celebrate the presence of water and pay homage to Guangzhou’s Port history in the fluvial system. By proposing a water park, we were able to implement essential drivers of our concept. We proposed to have a field of “reeds” that occupies the entire island. Like in a marsh, they form the boundaries of pools, paths and waterways. The whole island is a water labyrinth, where varying density of “reeds” results in varying degrees of spatial porosity. The spaces seep from one to another as does the water, light and sound. Using a field of “reeds” and water as design elements allowed us to create a sensorial rich environment. This is considered as a cohesive experience, but for the sake of conceptualizing our design, it mainly in two different scales of operation. As two instances

where the inhabitant is able to reflect and perceive the city in a very different manner. Committed to position the project between the intersection of bodily and urban experiences, the idea was to provide an environment that could be experienced by inhabitants who are within the water park and the ones who are outside, and be able to establish interactive connections between them. These interactions would have spatial and physical consequences experienced at both scales of intervention. This spatial dialogue is prompted by physical, spatial and graphic impetus. From within, at the scale of the body, pools of different temperatures and depths surrounded by reeds that move to the touch, provide a haptic experience to the inhabitant. At a different scale, when distancing from the site, the point of view shifts from being from within to being outside the site. Then the island becomes a canvas. From the bridges, boats, facing shore and towers this canvas can be transformed from afar. Light strokes can be drawn like shooting stars onto this deep surface. Like different layers of a composite drawing, the depth of the water, its reflection and steam- which typically belong to the bodily experience of the pools- add to the graphic nature of experiencing the island from far away. Conversely, as this “drawing” is enacted, a spatial consequence happens. The reeds that illuminate or dimm the spaces at the pools is experienced from within. 31

Like in a marsh, they form the boundaries of pools, paths and waterways. The whole island turns into a water labyrinth, where varying density of â&#x20AC;&#x153;reedsâ&#x20AC;? results in varying degrees of spatial porosity. The spaces seep from one to another as does the water, light and sound.

At a different scale, when distancing from the site, the point of view shifts from being from within to being on the outside. Then the island becomes a canvas. From the bridges, boats, facing shore and towers this canvas can be transformed from afar. 32

Using a field of â&#x20AC;&#x153;reedsâ&#x20AC;? and water as design elements allowed us to create a sensorial rich environment. From within, at the scale of the body, pools of different temperatures and depths surrounded by reeds that move to the touch, provide a haptic experience to the inhabitant. 34

At a different scale, when distancing from the site, the point of view shifts from being from within to being outside the site. Then the island becomes a canvas. From the bridges, boats, facing shore and towers this canvas can be transformed from afar. 36

4|HISTORICAL REFERENCES AND pERCEpTUAL AppROACH Guangzhou is the third largest city in China and the largest one in southern China. Guangzhou has a history that spans over 2,200 years. As early as the zhou Period in the 9th century BC, the city (then known as “Chu Ting”) served as a commercial exchange center for the Baiyue people and people of Chu State in the middle reaches of Yangtze River. The Emperor Qin Shihuang (259-210 BC) unified the Lingnan region (the area of modern-day Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan Island and the South China Sea Islands), and established the city of Panyu, now a suburb of Guangzhou. In 226 AD, the Emperor Sun Quan created the name Guangzhou Prefecture as part of a political division of the region. This name was later given to the city. Today, the city is the centre of the booming Pearl River delta economic zone, and one of the most economically important cities in China. The role of water and rivers has had throughout history a great influence in the city’s development. Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port. It was an important port during the ancient times as far back as the Qin Dynasty and it served as a trading port as the “Silk Road on the Sea”. The port became one of China’s busiest ports during the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty. Culturally, the river has had a special meaning for the people along the Pearl River. In the eyes of the citizens of Guangzhou, the spirits of water are guardians who remind of the past and ensure provision in the future.

In 2010, the city hosted the 2010 Asian Games, also known as the xVI. The opening and closing ceremonies were held along the Pearl River in Haixinsha Island. It was the first time in history that the opening ceremony for a major sports event was not held inside a stadium. In the ceremony, athletes were paraded by boats along the Pearl River. The ceremony featured the water-themed arts show and culture of Guangzhou. Local government had reportedly compensated the military ¥1 billion for the land of the island. When construction started, the government claimed the area would serve as a civic square after the Asian Games, but after the ceremony, the island and the stadium were left barren and not fully used. It is time to give the area back to the citizens. In addition, the island is located at a strategic point of the new city center, bordered by the new CBD on the north and the Pearl River on the south. It has fully built infrastructures including an apm station and large underground spaces which were directly connected to the underground complex of the CBD. Because of its significant location for the new city axis and the current development of Guangzhou, new incentives to recuperate this territory have been made. However, the site faces with challenges difficult challenges by the city and it community. A new responsible planning, creative design and construction are necessary.

The role of water and rivers has had throughout history a great influence in the city’s development. Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port. It was an important port during the ancient times as far back as the Qin Dynasty and it served as a trading port as the “Silk Road on the Sea”. The port became one of China’s busiest ports during the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty.

EARLY RESEARCH

TEAM A

BACKGROUND OF GZ

THE DEVELOPMENT OF RIVER SYSTEM IN PRD

2AD

NANHAI

742AD

GUANGZHOU

1290AD

PANYU

1820AD

GUANGZHOU

2010AD

GUANGZHOU

A SHAMIAN ISLAND (LIWAN DISTRICT) - ZHOUTOUZUI (HAIZHU DISTRICT)

YANJIANGXI ROA -BINJIANGZHONG R

MAP OF ZHUJIANG RIVERSIDE

RIVERSIDE SECTION C

AD (YUEXIU DISTRICT) From towers and high rises(TIANHE DISTRICT) HAIXINSHA ISLAND ROAD (HAIZHU DISTRICT) -GZ TOWER (HAIZHU DISTRICT)

D YUANCUN (TIANHE DISTRICT) -PAZHOU EXHIBITION CENTER (HAIZHU DISTRICT)

From the facing shore, boats and bridges

EARLY RESEARCH

TEAM A

BACKGROUND OF GZ

Main Bridge Distribution

Jiefang Bridge Haizhu Bridge Jiangwan Bridge Haiyin Bridge Canton Bridge Liede Bridge Huanan Bridge

Pazhou Bridge

Huangpu Bridge

PEARL RIVER

From streets

Renmin Bridge

Hedong Bridge Yajisha Bridge

Luoxi Bridge

Xinguang Bridge Panyu Bridge

Dongpute Bridge

5|ARCHITECTURAL pROjECT The proposal is a water park claiming the entire Haixinsha Island. A series of pools of different sizes and depths are designed throughout responding to specific programmatic demands, yet acting as a cohesive whole. A pond is located at the end of the pedestrian axis to the north marking the entry to the island from the cityside. This pond is followed by a series of smaller spa pools that gravitate towards one end to create a more intimate setting that overlooks Guangzhou â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s skyline. Even though the functions and nature of these spaces are quite different, the whole park reads as one island that celebrates the presence of water and fluctuates between its flooding stages. Like the reeds of a marsh that describe its very boundary, a series of architectural linear elements is employed to define pools and channels of water within this complex. This field of flexible rods occupies the entire island and it is inseparable from the body of water that it forms, blurring the edge between water and land, public and private, wet and dry. This field varies in density to define different spatial conditions and thresholds. As such, varying degrees of porosity are experienced from within the pools, paths and support areas. For instance, the field is denser where changing rooms and amenities are located. In contrast, the linear elements are more sparse to mark the paths and to form screens that tenuously divide the different types of pools. At times, these reeds drift away from the land and float on individual lilly pads. Randomly clustering on other areas, they momentarily define new boundaries. The ebb and flow of water currents shift these as do the inhabitants within the

pools who are invited to interact with these floating structures. In the daytime, the field creates an acoustical and light filtering effect as the reeds react to the touch or vibrate with the wind. The varying degrees of porosities result in varying degrees of light modulation and sound transmission. At night, the presence of the reeds is more subdued. They act as linear intermittent screens onto which light is projected. Only perceptible when light is cast on them, the rods dematerialized except for the areas where light hits them. As a result, a constellation of lights where reeds were in the daytime, glow in the nighttime. A myriad number of three dimensional moving pixels is experienced hovering above the water. Steam and reflection add to the spatial experience. The projection is interactive. Bathers and passersbys can transform with their gestures the collection of lights that surround them. Superimposed onto the skyline of the city, the inhabitants can play with these constellations by relating them to the city lights of buildings, bridges and boats on the background. Distancing from the site, the point of view shifts from being from within to being outside. Then the island becomes a canvas. From the bridges, boats, facing shore and towers this canvas can be transformed from afar.

Changing Rooms Changing Rooms

Main Pond Swimming Pool

Main Pond

Shallow Pool SPA Pools Family Pool

Water Bus Station

viewing deck

Site plan

from far away. Conversely, as this â&#x20AC;&#x153;drawingâ&#x20AC;? viewing deck is enacted, a spatial consequence of lighting

Light strokes can be drawn like shooting stars onto the whole island. Like different layers of a composite drawing, the depth of the water, its reflection and steam which belong to the bodily experience of the pools, add to the graphic nature of the island when experienced

and dimming the spaces within the pools is experienced from within.

Swimming Pool Shallow Pool

Family Pool

Water Bus Station

Partial plan Partial plan

Section A

Section B 48

Section A

Section B

Enlarged planEnlarged plan showing paths Enlarged plan

This field varies in density to define different spatial conditions and thresholds. As such, varying degrees of porosity are experienced from within the pools, paths and support areas. For instance, the field is denser where changing rooms and amenities are located. In contrast, the linear elements are more sparse to mark the paths and to form screens that tenuously divide the different types of pools. At times, these reeds drift away from the land and float on individual lilly pads. Randomly clustering on other areas, they momentarily define new boundaries. The ebb and flow of water currents shift these as do the inhabitants within the pools who are invited to interact with these floating structures.

Path

Enlarged plan showing changing room and pool 49

Partial pla

Enlarged section 50

Section A

Enlarged section 51

Partial plan

Section A

Section B 52

Enlarged plan

Path 53

Site plan on daytime

Site plan at night 56

6|WORKING pROTOTYpE The “reeds” were studied in their land-bound as well as their floating conditions. For the land-bound setting, tiles were designed with a pattern of holes displaying a varying degree of density. They emulate concrete pavers that tesselate and can be replaced if necessary. Their spacing ranges from 4” to 12” on center according to the intended spatial conditions. These tiles hold the reeds in place even when they are being moved from side to side. The “reeds” are 8’ high fiber glass rods. This material was chosen based on their structural properties. Strength and flexibility was required to allow them to erect and without being move sideways without braking. In addition, their sound effect and surface quality made them superior to other options. For the floating condition, “lily pads” were designed to hold the “reeds” in place. Funnel like forms that would hold 6’ acrylic rods and float without tipping when moving sideways were designed, 3d printed and vacuum formed using PETG. For the projection, an interactive pattern of dots was designed using Processing. This pattern reacts to gestures by using a Kinect that senses the inhabitant’s movements. Ideally, an app would be developed to enable remote interaction from boats and towers with the island to achieve the desire effect of thinking of the island as a canvas for drawing.

Tile for “reeds” 60

Field of reeds

Effect of projection at night

For the floating condition, “lily pads” were designed to hold the “reeds” in place. Funnel like forms hold 6’ acrylic rods that float without tipping when moving sideways, 3d printed and vacuum formed using PETG. 64

2 68

igaRdEN Jiasi Tan Adam Novack ziyi zhang 69

1|DESIGN MANIFESTO In this digital era, technology is becoming an integral part of our daily lives. From any activity, such as getting from one place to another, to looking for a form of simple entertainment we often resort to digitally based apps or other resources to fill the need for information or entertainment. Although there is a strong linkage between the physical environment and amount of information that is available digitally, we often view them as two separate spaces and worlds, only looking to interact with one at a time. For example many physical based games, such as tennis and golf exist in virtually formats mutually exclusive as each other. This raises the question that by simply separating them into two separate realms are we merely attempting to imitated one two of activity in a similar manner, as opposed to creating an entirely new way to experience activities that we are familiar with. By examining the possibility of combining the two worlds together we can use the digital technology as a way to enhance experiences that would otherwise not be possible in any other format. As a result the real potential to integrate digital technology in the physical world, would be to create new experience and interactions that have not existed before. In order to find meaning in created experiences we can look at some of the sacrifices, the built world is creating in our lives, which have occurred over time as living conditions have changed. Starting with the

environment we can see enviably see how the process of urbanizing has caused degradation of air quality, but since we are in highly controlled spaces, such as buildings most of the our time that we are in a mode of conscious awareness we can easily forget about the true condition of either the air quality of comfort level of the people around us. By using digital methods to gather data about the spaces and people around the city we can then invert the gather data into its opposite for, in order to use as a methodology to alter perceptions and feelings towards the natural environment thru digital interfaces. If it was a day were the air quality was extremely poor, and many people in the garden were thinking thoughts that were quite depressing as the surrounding environment is in very bad shape, we could then in turn take those conditions and virtually create a world that is a much happier place. Instead of created a traditional garden that would be commonly found throughout the city, the principle of augmented reality can be an approach for traditional designers to embrace the realm of digital reality. Augmented reality design has similar features as traditional architectural design, and it has more potential, it can reveal digital information on a physical site and t is responsive. Moreover, it can add another digital layer to the physical space. By introducing augmented reality design into architectural field, the physical and digital experience would be more integrated and meaningful. 71

When thinking about the planning of new space we are accustomed to using methods that are abstract representations of the final form. We used to draw on the sketch book, or digitally created three dimensional designs on a two dimensional surface; such as a computer screen. We have tools such as scale which manually translate a virtual version of something into a real world proportion. A two-millimeter pencil line would actually turn out to be a two-meter lone, fourmeter height concrete wall. Before digital era, those representation methods are actually an abstracted perception of the real word. However, in the digital era, those perceptions become digitalized and become more real to us. Now we are building 3 dimensional models with real units like inches, meters. Digital representation is closer to the real world compared to the techniques we had before. Models are not flat any more, we would be able to rotate it, and view it from different perspectives. And it is zoom able, we can look both inside and from afar. And this model is composited digitally, which means it is vector, scalable. Move forward from the idea that we are quite accustomed to transplanting drawings and other 3 dimensional representation of real places into constructed space, we commonly view these two worlds as completely separate realms. We very rarely try to merge the two into each other so they can both be experienced at the same time, as we are accustomed to switching back and forth between one another that there is usually very little need to complete integrate them together. It can become a performance issues where we desire the physical world to perform in a way that it is not capable of providing a certain experience. This could possibly be having the ability to quickly change as 72

local conditions are changing as well as poses a large about of information that would be impossible to fit in the area available for a certain program, such as a garden. By creating a virtual garden we now have the possibility for an infinite amount of gardens to exist and instantly swap one out with another. Through the process of digitally gathering information about the layers of a place, they can then be separated based on their significant to the installation and then composed in a way that they can then create a new virtually environment; which responds to the surrounding conditions but represents in an opposite way. This hybrid place that exists thru the presence of physical objects that provide basic necessities such as circulation and structure; combined with a fantasy like environment that animated the place in a way that would never be possible thru traditional construction methods. We therefore see the digital environment as a not a separate world that exists within a device virtually but as a space that can complement traditional spaces that are underperforming.

2|SITE/CONTEXT ANALYSIS Over the past 50 years in Asian cities, much of the historic fabric and scale has been erased as mega structures and other densified urbanization has occurred as a result. Historically in Guangzhou, the location of the main urban area, the central business district was farmland only several decades ago. The act of clearing the farmland and construction a new dense urban centre has strong political and environmental implications. Many people who used to live in common small structure that were located in the vicinity of the downtown were forced to relocate to other areas of the city. This means they likely had to strongly alter their life style as a result. They may have had a strong sense of connection to the land and landscape around them either by using the space as a restorative environment to rest in or having the potential to also use the land as a productive system for both economic and food necessities. Since a major shift in the scale of architecture in the regional context occurred, this instilled a strong shifting in the scale of the open space to complement the architecture as well. The multiple mega structures that surround the site ranging from the ultra-high landmark, The Canton Tower, to multiple hotels and other high rise buildings create a strong field of space, in simply the interstitial space that surrounds them. After taking into consideration the idea of time and distance one has to travel within the CBD, we can start to see how the mega-structures have the potential to greatly scale up the size of public open space, almost

to an unusable and anonymous feeling. Historically in china public spaces were commonly connected to the adjacent low density uses directly around them. With the introduction of a new building type; that is greatly an invention of the engineering and technological age, we must also consider how these similar principle can be applied to the landscape. The gardenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s location, an island were the Asian summer games were held, is centrally located near many notable and famous landmarks, such as the zaha Hadid opera house the Canton Tower. As a result a diverse group of people are drawn to the area, ranging from locals to visitors. Since the scale of the space is extremely large it is highly unlikely one group of people will have any means or reasons to interact with each other. Additionally, since the space is so highly constructed, ranging from the physical pavement on the group, to the singular plant types applied in a basic geometrical from to the entire island, it is easy to feel a sense disconnect from the surrounding environment; such as the current state of the air quality and other fast changing weather conditions. Our digital garden will address these issue by gathering information about what is occurring in close proximity to the site from a variety of sources. We can take data about the sites level of air quality, either in a healthy state or a highly polluted stated and by aggregating the data, we can apply it to the garden as a way of creating the ability for the site to fast change and respond to conditions around it. 73

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Additionally the site is very close in proximity to multiple transportation systems such as the underground subway system. Many groups of people are moving around and potentially thru the site as simply a way to get from one point to another or potentially along a commute. This means that the people moving thru and around the site will naturally have a diverse range of current state of emotions and priorities that they are thinking about. By gathering the data about the diverse group of people present on the site, we can use the siteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ground plane as a way to provide a anonymous platform for people to share what they are currently thinking and feeling with other. As many people come to this area by themselves they would otherwise not have a strong way to connect with those around them.

Traditional Perception of the City:

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Traditional Perception of other People:

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3|DESIGN CONCEpT The concept for our design is to create a digital garden that can be used in the daily life of the inhabitants of the city to provide a sense of escape from the pressures of modern urban living. Therefore, the garden will have the ability to respond to the air quality and the current state of feels of the residents. The form of the garden take place as a combination of the existing urban form as a basic massing, which will then be transformed and controlled in a digital manner. The elements of the garden will be composed in a picturesque manner ranging from foreground to background. The foreground will be the more active spaces with the insertion of the ever growing and changing plants, which respond to whom is currently located in close proximity, as opposed to the background which will be much more stable in composition, changing slowly to respond to the current environmental conditions, both natural, such as seasonality and current sun and cloud cover.

very quickly and attractively. By creating this opposite condition, we will then be able to create a magnetlike space to work to draw other people in towards them. By immersing a sad person in this fantasy like environment, surrounded by other curious people, we hope the garden can gain the ability to alter ones moods and feelings in a positive manner; in addition to making them more aware of the natural environment around them. The formal intent of this garden is to generate a fantasy like environment, while still maintaining a space that is connected to the urban life and issues around it. Through understanding the current issues as well as gathering data about technical conditions, we can create a garden that is strongly linked to its context but has the ability to feel like it exists in another world.

In addition we will respond to human caused problems; by increasing their presence by contrasting the physical vs digital which has the ability to show a beautiful sunny day during a time where the pollution is very serious. Weather phenomenal will be integrated into the background of the digital garden environment, so the foreground can be controlled by the individual people present on the site. The mood of the plants and flowers will change according to what the users closest in proximity are thinking and feeling. If a visitor is feeling very sad, the plants will perform the opposite and begin to grow 79

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Step 001: Locate the iBeacons_According to the Coverage radius of each iBeacon

iBeacon is the Apple Trademark for an indoor positioning system that Apple Inc. calls "a new class of low-powered, low-cost transmitters that can notify nearby iOS 7 devices of their presenc proximity. The iBeacon works on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), also known as Bluetooth Smart. BLE can also be found on Bluetooth 4.0 devices that support dual mode.[7] One potential ap sale or items customers may be looking for, and it could enable payments at the point of sale (POS) where customers donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to remove their wallets or cards to make payments. It could be app or operating system that can be turned into a physical location or trigger an action on the device such as a Check-in on social media.Various vendors have made hardware iBeacons th

ce." They can also be used by the Android operating system (limited to central-only). The technology enables an iOS device or other hardware to send push notifications to iOS devices in close pplication is a location-aware, context-aware, pervasive small wireless sensor beacon that could pinpoint users' location in a store: iBeacons could send notifications of items nearby that are on e a possible Near Field Communication (NFC) competitor.[citation needed]It uses Bluetooth low energy Proximity sensing to transmit a Universally unique identifier[8] picked up by a compatible hat come in a variety of form factors. This includes small coin cell and AA powered devices, USB sticks, and software versions using Bluetooth 4.0 capable USB dongles.

Step 002: Track Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Location Using their Bluetooth Devices and the iBeacons

In geometry, trilateration is the process of determining absolute or relative locations of points by measurement of distances, using the geometry of circles, spheres or triangles.[1][2][3][4] In a it does not involve the measurement of angles. In two-dimensional geometry, it is known that if a point lies on two circles, then the circle centers and the two radii provide sufficient informat

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addition to its interest as a geometric problem, trilateration does have practical applications in surveying and navigation, including global positioning systems (GPS). In contrast to triangulation, tion to narrow the possible locations down to two. Additional information may narrow the possibilities down to one unique location.

to narrow the possible locations down to no more than two (unless the centers lie on a straight line). This article describes a method for determining the intersections of three sphere surfaces

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Trilateration Location System In geometry, trilateration is the process of determining absolute or relative locations of points by measurement of distances, using the geometry of circles, spheres or triangles.[1][2][3][4] In addition to its interest as a geometric problem, trilateration does have practical applications in surveying and navigation, including global positioning systems (GPS). In contrast to triangulation, it does not involve the measurement of angles. In two-dimensional geometry, it is known that if a point lies on two circles, then the circle centers and the two radii provide sufficient information to narrow the possible locations down to two. Additional information may narrow the possibilities down to one unique location. In three-dimensional geometry, when it is known that a point lies on the surfaces of three spheres, then the centers of the three spheres along with their radii provide sufficient information to narrow the possible locations down to no more than two (unless the centers lie on a straight line). This article describes a method for determining the intersections of three sphere surfaces given the centers and radii of the three spheres.

4|HISTORICAL REFERENCES AND pERCEpTUAL AppROACH When analyzing historical gardens in Chinese history we can see a strong relationship between the scale and them of the garden to the philosophical and cultural trends of each era; and its associated architecture types. Throughout much of Chinese Architectural history, structures and building were typically very low density consisting of one or two stories. Building were commonly located in close proximity to one another create a feeling of enclosure, or that of a courtyard type feeling. Since the scale of the historical building were complementary to that or a human scale, the gardens created a sense and feeling of enclosure. Trees and other furnishing were designed to accommodate small groups of people as opposed to currently parks and gardens which must accommodate larger groups and serve as spaces for fast moving groups. Historic spaces were intended to act as outdoor rooms and other living and working areas, as opposed to todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public spaces which exist for more civic based purposes we began to explore the idea of connecting Chinese public gardens and parks to serve the same social and restorative purpose than they have historically. Gardens in history we commonly tailored and designed to fit individual taste and preferences. Also historically gardens were share by fewer groups of people. This means that gardens that once existed as a singular enclosed space that an individual would maintain and enjoy on a daily basis is no longer practical, as people are so highly concentrate in modern times that

enough resources do not exist, ranging from land to other environmental resources. By adapting the idea of person gardens to fit ones preference and taste, we can begin to use technology to hyper concentrate many people individual gardens into a small area. The gardens can also exist virtually so they can be instantly swapped from one another depending on the user present. Elements from traditional Chinese gardens such as vegetation and other forms poses connotative meaning, to serve new meaning in the virtual garden. By having a database of elements we can take data about what someone is feeling or thinking and by the composition of historical elements such as vegetation and other natural materials, such as rocks we can create a new digital garden plot. The garden will also begin to modify meanings in order to create a heightened awareness to ones surroundings. Instead of just taking a literal reference to what someone is feeling or thinking at one time, we can begin to take ones current state of emotions such as if they are sad, we can use the garden elements in an contrary way to create a sense of optimism and happiness within the garden to begin to create alternative state of mind of feeling. Since in historic garden people were only traveling short distances, and living in close proximity to the gardens and outdoor spaces that they were using at the time, public spaces did not necessarily need to create a strong impact or statement about volatile conditions, they could exist simply as a supplement. 93

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Section 001

Section 002

Background Example 001:

Background Example 002:

Creating clear whether in the background when the air pollution becomes serious

Creating Snowing background when the temperature is too hot.

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Background Example 003: Creating raining background when the weather is too dry.

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Upset

Unlucky

Foreground Example 001:

Foreground Example 002:

Creating blossoms of sunflowers when someone is upset

Creating blossoms of clovers when someone has bad luck

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fall out of love

Foreground Example 003: Creating blossoms of roses when someone falls out of love

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Overlay the background and foreground: The views is composed by the background and the foreground.

...

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+ Foreground Example 001: Creating blossoms of sunflowers when someone is upset

Upset

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+ Foreground Example 002: Creating blossoms of clovers when someone has bad luck

Unlucky

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Overlay the background and foreground: The views is composed by the background and the foreground.

...

Background Example 003: Creating raining background when the weather is too dry.

+ Foreground Example 003: Creating blossoms of roses when someone falls out of love

fall out of love

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5|ARCHITECTURAL pROjECT The architecture of the garden will exist as a combination of the physical site that is located in, in addition to modification that are preformed digital and displayed thru an app on a hand held device. The physical space will be construed 3 dimensionally and interested into the app, so in combination with a tracking device systems, the ibeacon, as you move thru the physical space on foot, the visitor will experience the corresponding movement thru 3 dimensionally space simultaneously.

outside forces, such as weather, climate, and current visitor feelings. A combination of light and darkness will be over-laid digitally generating a constantly changing environment that places less emphasis on the physical form but volatility of the world around us instead.

The site will be simplified into a muted colour palate, leaving the form recognizable, but giving a strong sense of priority to the elements of the garden that are displayed digital. By creating the digital garden in a layered format, both physical forms, combined with environmental and other systems, the intent by creating way finding landmarks that exist in both the virtual and the physical a stronger contrast will be created, as we can show atmospheric effect on objects that actually exist on site. The physical indication of the virtual gardens existence on site will be limited to the vessel the ibeacons are placed into. Ideally the vessels would be an abstracted form of a flower holding container such as a vase. Since the physical indication of the garden is highly static and non-significant it is important to draw minimal attention to it. The level of detail that is present in the garden will be abstract, so the visitor will notice pay the most attention the how the garden is being impacted from 107

6|WORKING pROTOTYpE The prototype of the digital garden will exist within the backyard of the GSD. By using the ibeacon technology, paired with a digital model of the space, we can create begin to subdivide the yard into smaller spaces that will each display its respective garden plot. The ibeacons will be placed at major intersections of the sites walkways and walls to provide a network in order to be able to triangle one’s location in virtual space. By accurately tracking locations we can smoothly show movement as each person is moving around the 3d model. The ibeacons will also be placed within a small container on the site to signify the connection between the physical points in space which are significant to having the ability to accurately capture and track movement. The app we will create, will also survey the user’s current emotional state in comparison with other users around them. We can then take the data in comparison to other users of the park and begin to move people around in a hierarchy of the range of people present on the site. After taking data from each visitor in the garden, the garden will then become populated with garden like elements that will perform based on the current state of emotion or feeling of the visitor closets to them. If the visitor standing near them is the garden start to grow very quickly and successfully which is opposite to what they are currently experiencing.

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The atmosphere above the ground plane, by representing the site elements, such as the walls and steps in their simple massing. The user will experience the context abstracted into a basic form that can be used for the sole purpose of navigation. The atmosphere and environment will be modified to depending on the current weather conditions at the time of demonstration. If it is a cloudy day, we will use the “blank” 3d model of the site context and transform it into a sunny pleasant environment. This will create the illusion and sense of happiness in the users and provide a sense of relief and escape from the place of less the ideal conditions. In turn this will create an enlightened sense of happiness around them so other visitors may walk over to see the high level of interest being created.

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REflEcTEd lIghT clOud Jim Peraino KyeoRe Lee Sunkyu Koh 111

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1|DESIGN MANIFESTO PROJECT BACKGROUND Guangzhou is facing an identity crisis. For centuries, its strategic location on the Pearl River Delta helped shape the city as a key transportation hub and trading port, and it continues to locate the city within the larger context of the burgeoning Pearl River Delta Mega City. However, the increasing pressures of globalization in recent years have nudged the city towards buildings and urban landscapes that are indistinguishable from many others across the world, and as the city center shifts from the waterfront to the Central Business District, the aspects of the city which make it unique are in jeopardy of falling out of the collective conscience of the city. What can be done to reclaim and forge a new identity for the city that is both nostalgic and forward-thinking, introspective and projective? Haixinsha Island is located at a crucial intersection within the city, at the point where old meets new, where the CBD meets the river. Though this important locus can be easily understood on a map, it would not be unreasonable for visitors to Haixinsha to miss that they are on an island altogether. It feels more like an extension of the CBD than of the river; visitors could cross the wide bride to the island without ever seeing water, and once over the bridge, if water can be seen, it is only through a thick layer of trees. Further, a lack of water-related programming and activities misses the opportunity to engage with this important axis. This proposal seeks to call attention to Haixinsha’s unique location within a unique city. It heightens

perception of the island’s relationship both to the water and to the land in a way that can be achieved nowhere else. It blurs the boundaries between digital manipulation and physical experience. It does so in a way that takes advantage of cutting edge technologies in new ways, but will remain relevant over time because its affect and appeal is dependent on the experiences it facilitates, not its novelty. In a world that is moving towards homogeneity, the specificity of experience on this island has the potential to be a powerful tool in defining an identity for the city that grounds it in the past while looking optimistically to the future. PERCEPTION / IDENTITY In the case of Haixinsha Island, generating new identities requires shifting perceptions. With the goal at hand of providing an environment that facilitates perceptions of a site at the intersection of historical and forward-looking axes, the first task is to strengthen the site’s relationship to the water. A wide pedestrian bridge seamlessly reaches over the relatively short width of the waterway that separates mainland and the island, and landmarks viewed on approach are centered on the CBD axis. The result is that many pedestrians walk at the center of the bridge and arrive on the island with no sense of threshold, and indeed with no sense that they have entered an island at all. Once on the island, visitors who walk to the south edge of the site can see the river and the Canton Tower on its other bank, but the view is filtered 113

through a series of trees. In short, this is an island that pretends it is not. However, a visit to the top of the Canton or IFC Towers reveals a different story. From this elevated point of view, Haixinsha is seen within a larger context; it is surrounded by water. In effect, the island can only be perceived as such from a removed point of view. One way to allow visitors to the island to perceive that they are in fact on an island is to emulate this removed point of view on site. Our primary strategy for doing so is to elevate a series of mirrors high above the site. During the day, a network of position sensors locate individuals and tour groups as they traverse the site. This data is used to control the position and rotation of the mirrors so that no matter where pedestrians are on the site, they will always have a view of the river, the rippling surface reflecting undulating sunlight patterns, blanketing the sight with aquatic light. The scale of the site ensures that these rotations would be slow, potentially imperceptible except for the persistence of the views they offer: a quiet but deliberate curation. The relationship between river and visitor as mediated by the mirror mitigates the incomprehensibly gargantuan scale of the urban fabric that defines the city from afar. The towers offer no clues to the pedestrian how to relate to them, no recognizable tectonics that indicate a relationship to the human scale, nothing relatable at all. It is clear that their primary allegiance is to the image of the city as a whole rather than to the individualized perception of the city as experienced by each individual pedestrian from his or her unique point of view. New perceptions of what the city is capable of can be generated by new types of program. The installation 114

performs in certain ways during the day, in other ways at night. It has neutral states where it tracks the motions of pedestrians below and it has programmed states where it reconfigures into specific shapes. One configuration that speaks specifically to a redefined perception of a site with strong connections to the water is a configuration where all of the mirrors are collected in one location and angled so that a performance below is visible to spectators on boats in the river. In this way, the proposal reaches beyond the island and into the city. Its height, kinetic motion, and the qualities of the light that it reflects into the city all help to make it visible from outside the island. In addition to bringing attention to the island and drawing visitors to it, it fosters a perception that the city is vital, constantly responding to its visitorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; movements. In the shadows of such a static skyline, this installation becomes a beacon for the city, a representation and an indication of all that is going on within. DIGITAL / PHYSICAL INVERSION The tools and methods used to achieve these effects heighten the installations relationship to its specific site as well as its relationship to the pedestrians below. The digital elements of the installation are hidden, and visual effects that are often achieved and represented through digital technologies such as screens and projections are instead achieved through the more paletable laws of physics. For visitors to the the site, their interaction with our installation is primarily physical and visual. Motion is the input, visual curation through the mirrorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reflections is the output. Standing under the

installation, visitors look up expecting to see the sky and instead see that they are surrounded by water. Their attention can be redirected to landmarks around the city, knowing all the while that they are located within the larger context of a city, one whose identity begins to be generated as the sum of all these images. This experience could be achieved in any number of ways, but the use of mirrors is of strategic importance to the perceptual experience of this proposal. The most obvious alternate means of showing unexpected and conglomerate images in the sky would be through projection or LED screen. Rather than reflecting lines of sight, cameras could be installed high above the stadium and the views that are captured could be displayed on screens. In this scenario, both the input and the output would become digital, obviating any need for physical interaction. By shifting the emphasis of the project away from digital effects, physical interactions become its main driver--the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relevance remains even after the technologies used to achieve them become outdated. Further, this physical/ digital inversion produces an experience that cannot be replicated anywhere else on earth, heightening the sense of site specificity. Mirrors canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t lie. Their operation is simple and straightforward. The viewer sees an image reflected off of the mirror that is dependent upon the positions and angle of mirror and viewer. Rays of light reflect off a mirror at an angle equal and opposite to the angle that they hit it. We trust, in other words, that what we see through a mirror is truthful because the principles behind their function are easily understood and familiar. We trust physical phenomena more than we trust digital ones, perhaps because of their straightforward nature. Through exposure to

digitally manipulated imagery, CGI effects in film, and photoshopped celebrities on the fronts of magazines, we have come not to trust mediated images because we know how easily they can be made to lie, and how pervasive these techniques are. This is not to say that unexpected effects cannot be achieved--through mirrors operate in a straightforward manner, there remains a degree of unpredictability that results from a lack of precision in perception and cognition on our part. Just as it is difficult to predict with precision the angle that a billiards ball may ricochet on a pool table, it is difficult to predict the image that a mirror might reveal, especially when experienced in a state of distraction. This unpredictability makes the experience of seeing the city through the installation a unique one. The use of mirrors also strengthens the sense of place. If the experience were purely digital, it could be replicated anywhere, and the notion of Haixinsha as a site would be irrelevant. Similar images could be shown in in different parts of the city, or indeed across the world in Times Square to similar effect. However, mirrors resist transmission. They are only meaningful in person and therefore ensure a degree of authenticity of experience. In this proposal we take advantage of the overlap of mirrorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; straightforwardness and their unpredictability to generate intrigue and a sense of authenticity. The city is experienced in a new way, in a way that is engaging, relatable, and authentic.

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DIGITAL LONGEVITY The goal of this project are not to showcase technology that has never been seen before, its goal is to allow the reformulation of the identity of a budding city. Its effects and its goals are about physical and perceptual experience rather than novel technologies, and will therefore retain its relevance even as technologies continue to develop. Indeed, this projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fundamental technology, the mirror, has been around for millennia, yet its intrigue remains. This system of suspended and kinetic mirrors is flexible. The infrastructure can remain while new experiences can be programmed as the city grows. New parts of the city can be emphasized, new types of performances can be facilitated, new patterns of use will continue to shape this installationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s use for years to come. Technology here is used not for the cheap thrill of novelty but instead to facilitate a much more meaningful perceptual experience. Instead, technology takes a back seat to the perceptual experiences that help alter the collective identity of the city, providing meaning to the proposal for years to come.

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2|SITE/CONTEXT ANALYSIS Guangzhou is facing an identity crisis. For centuries, its strategic location on the Pearl River Delta helped shape the city as a key transportation hub and trading port, and it continues to locate the city within the larger context of the burgeoning Pearl River Delta Mega City. However, the increasing pressures of globalization in recent years have nudged the city towards buildings and urban landscapes that are indistinguishable from many others across the world, and as the city center shifts from the waterfront to the Central Business District, the aspects of the city which make it unique are in jeopardy of falling out of the collective conscience of the city. What can be done to reclaim and forge a new identity for the city that is both nostalgic and forward-thinking, introspective and projective? Haixinsha Island is located at a crucial intersection within the city, at the point where old meets new, where the CBD meets the river. Though this important locus can be easily understood on a map, it would not be unreasonable for visitors to Haixinsha to miss that they are on an island altogether. It feels more like an extension of the CBD than of the river; visitors could cross the wide bride to the island without ever seeing water, and once over the bridge, if water can be seen, it is only through a thick layer of trees. Further, a lack of water-related programming and activities misses the opportunity to engage with this important axis.

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Development Process of the City, Guangzhou The most importan issue of our site, Haixinsha island, is that it is hardly recognized as an island. The two bridges that connect Haixinsha to CBD not only enhance mobility of people but also blur the identity of the site. To retrieve the lost identity of the site as an island where diverse stories of the city meet, we decided to make the site an independant place beyond the CBD whereas reflecting dynamics of the city.

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Idea Development

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3|DESIGN CONCEpT Our proposal is a cloud above Haixinsha that lets the island see the city and the city see the island. A cloud of mirrors above the site moves with the movement of pedestrians below, giving life to the space. From below, these mirrors showcase different parts of the city, including the very river that the island sits on but does not engage with. From far away, the reflections catch the eyes of city dwellers, instigating intrigue, drawing them to the site or potentially just inspiring them from afar, content with the knowledge of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vitality. The proposal is flexible. During the day, it does one thing, at night, another. Light reflects off the mirrors in programmed patterns, creating spaces for socializing and collective activities. On foggy nights, the light reflects off the dense air creating a cloud of light over the island. During events, the mirrors can collect and reflect the performance below to a whole new audience, potentially to picnicers on the lawn or even to boats on the river, giving the island and the city a new connection to the river that is at the core of its identity.

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4|HISTORICAL REFERENCES AND pERCEpTUAL AppROACH Several artists have created installations that use similar techniques as ours. In particular, Joachim Sauter has suspended and animated mirrors and other objects in mesmerizing patterns and formations, offering proof of concept. The interaction of light with his installations has been especially important, offering us insight into the way that our proposal might reach beyond its actual physical presence on Haixinsha into the city. These installations, however, tend to avoid the notion of context, instead opting for the white walls of a gallery. This is where our proposal is unique, and where it gets its value for the city of Guangzhou. There is tremendous opportunity to invert the notions of digital and physical in an urban context in order to define new identities. Instead of reflecting blank walls, mirrors can reflect the city and context around visitors, reshaping their understanding of their surroundings. Instead of performing prearranged animations, these mirrors can respond in real time to the visitorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s movements, heightening the relationship between viewer and viewed.

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5|ARCHITECTURAL INSTALLATION The mirrors are suspended from above the site, making use of existing infrastructure such as the towers near the stadium. A lattice of cables and beams suspends individual mirrors, which have the capability to rotate in two axes, as well as move vertically and horizontally. This creates a flexible system that can be configured in many ways depending on the needs of the site at any given time, and can continue to be reprogrammed as the site and city evolve. Four examples of potential configurations are described below.

Tourist Configuration: Pedestrians move below the canopy of mirrors, and the mirrors respond, tracking their movement and calculating angles that show specific parts of the city. When large groups travel together, the mirrors move together. This activity can be seen from around the island. Performance Configuration - Boats: The mirrors over the stadium can come together, and angle down so that the stage below can be seen from the river. Boats can collect in the river and see innovative performances that make use of this unique configuration. Performance Configuration - Set: The mirrors can lower close to the ground and serve as a dynamic set for more intimate performances below. They can even be animated, simulating weather, providing privacy, or creating architectural forms. Night Configuration: The mirrors can reflect light, beaming it up into the sky and down to the ground. When this light gets caught in the fog, the beams of light can act like walls, defining permeable social spaces below.

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Tourist Configuration

Performance Configuration - Set

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Performance Configuration: Boats

Night Configuration

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6|WORKING pROTOTYpE For our working prototype, we have emulated the responsive aspect of our proposal, looking at the motion of a small set of mirrors as they track the movement of a pedestrian. This helps us to understand the perceptual effects of seeing a constant image in a mirror even while moving. Our prototype makes use of Firefly, a plug-in interface for grasshopper which allows us to take the input of the position of a viewerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head, calculate a precise mirror angle, and control the length of string that controls the mirrorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s physical angle. Our prototype makes use of a Kinect for Windows for its skeletontracking capability as an input. There is then a script in grasshopper that calculates a mirror angle based on the location of the viewerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head, the location of the mirror, and the location of a view target. Two stepper motors for each mirror control the precise rotation of spools which adjust the length of string from which the mirrors are suspended, allowing us to achieve specific angles. Each mirror would also have additional stepper motors to allow horizontal movement along rails, however due to budget constraints this feature has not been included in the prototype.

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Two motors control the angle of the mirror by winding wire around a spool. A third motor controls vertical movement, and a fourth controls horizontal movement. Weights stabilize the mirror and help provide a full range of motion.

angle controller

mirror

position controller

weight

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mirror

lighting

Lighting Experiement with Laser Beam: Rays of light emerge from the ground and reflect off of the mirrors in directions that are dependent on the angle of the mirror. When these beams of light are caught in the fog, different architectural elements and spaces can be created.

Diagram of Movement: The two-axis rotation and its ability to move vertically provides a flexible system that can adapt to many different usage scenarios. These include configurations for group performances, a stage for a play, or views to the city for tourists passing by.

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ThE gazE Malika Singh Saurabh Mhatre Heamin Kim Matthew Merrill 139

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1|DESIGN MANIFESTO Data is ubiquitous, information is abundant. All hail the bit. The world now reproduces an entire history’s worth of information in a matter of days, soon it will be seconds. Material has become secondary to the continuous flow of pixels, bits, and bytes. This data is the techno excess of a narcissistic generation consumed in its own digital image. Convinced the world is fascinated with our every movement, feeling or even bowel movement, we update, curate and control our digital reality. Digital avatars today are more real than physical identities. We feed the machine and the machine feeds us. Digital extremities act as portals through which we choose to see the world, and the world demands to see us. Our physical and digital realities are mined, cataloged, sold, analyzed and (re)presented to us. Agency is both gained and lost in this digitally responsive system. The digital is physically mediated. Input, storage, and output all require physical constructs that cannot be separated from the information itself, and often serve as the impetus for its creation. The physical is digitally mediated. The city we see is a construct of the digital screen. Terminal screens literally translate the world around us, and in the lacan-ian sense, permanently alter our perception of the world even when the terminal is absent. Digital and analog worlds are assumed to be autonomous. An arbitrary threshold is placed inbetween. But this purity is a falsehood. Rather, there is a rapid and continuous oscillation between the two that aggregates somewhere in between. The city

associates itself with 2 realities, what the city is and what the city is perceived as. There is also a difference in the way an individual percieves the city and the collective perception for a group of individuals. Devices like the Oculus Rift traps the user in an isolated cocoon hence constraining the interaction between the user and the city. Collective viewing establishes a relationship between the user and the city as well as facilitates social interactions and discussions between different users through the common context of the City. Hence we use the ‘Screen’ as a tool to mediate a physical experience through a digital window which either acts as a filter or provides added information or both to enrich and educate the user about the city. Hyperreality is simultaneously desired, dreaded, and inescapable. The entirety of civilization is now seduced by The Gaze, but it is not aware. The digital world cannot be untangled from the physical one. but it can be made visible. We will start a revolution that reveals our new binary-biological reality. The city is ripe for a new type mediation, for the ‘The Gaze’. REFERENCES Takeuchi, Y., Perlin, K. ClayVision: The (Elastic) Image of the City. CHI’12. Juhani Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin, Chichester: Wiley-Academy , 2005. “Photosynth” Mcrosoft, accessed May 23th, 2014, http://photosynth.net. “Twap”, http://itsatwap.com. RAFAELLOzANO-HEMMER, “Under Scan”, Jonathan Carroll Collection (NYC) and private collectors. 141

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2|SITE/CONTEXT ANALYSIS ‘The Gaze’ is located in Haixinsha Island, in the center of Guangzhou, China. The island was the site of the 2010 Asian games for which 3 billion yuans were spent. The island is surrounded by the city’s most iconic architecture, and located at the intersection of the city’s two main axes: the historic water axis of the Pearl River, and the new Planned axis of the central business district, zhujiang New Town.

But the island is not designed as such; the pavilion for the Asian Games, and the surrounding landscape, does not reference these axes, and instead has become a piece of obsolete infrastructure residing in the ruin in the center of Guangzhou. The city needs a new center, the city needs ‘The Gaze’.

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This axis designed to create a new center for the city attracks a lot of people, but the temporary stadium constructed on the island fails to do so.A seperate transport system APM which connects the Canton Tower , Haixinsha Island to the main axis is underused. The same can be said about a lot of facilities and infrastructure present on the island. The Mall of the World, a huge shopping mall located below the axis has hardly any visitors.

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Axis Diagram

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YANLING PARK GUANGzHOU EAST RAILWAY STATION CICIT TOWER TIANHE SPORTS CENTER

HUACHENG PLAzA

zHUJIANG NEW TOWN (CBD)

HAIxINSHA ISLAND CANTON TOWER

360 Degree View

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3|DESIGN CONCEpT At the exact intersection of the two axes - flanked by the twin towers to the north, and the Canton tower to the south - is ‘The Gaze’. A circular form, with the center point lying on these two axes, the ‘The Gaze’ both literally and figuratively defines the new center of Guangzhou. In a city, and a country, where the will of the individual is subsumed by an inhuman urbanity, the ‘The Gaze’ folds the city inside-out. The ‘The Gaze’ liberates the citizenry, making the urban fabric a manifestation of individual desire. How is this accomplished? From a central viewing point on the island, a series of fragmented screens radiate out, forming a variable enclosure. Viewed from this point, the screens completely enclose or overlap with one another, creating a 360 degree projection surface of variable transparency that mediates users’ perception of the surrounding city.

The projection surfaces are not static either. Rather, they are composed of 4” x 4” triangular pixels made of smart glass. With an electric current passing through, this glass is able to change transparency. Working in strict concert with the projected images, the variable transparency allows for images to be displayed on the surface of the structure, or pass through and spill onto the ground. Also because of the varying opacity of the smartglass the form dosent have a defined boundary , at one instant its tangible and visible and it disappears the next. The boundary of the form is defined by the spill of projections on the island and is dynamic.This dynamic spill of projections makes the GAzE, a beacon on the island which through curiosity captures the attention of the people on the axis and around and pull them to the island.

From the center of the structure, projections are displayed across the entirety of the surrounding surface, creating a totalizing perceptual experience. The videos are far from conventional compositions, displaying live data aggregated and processed from the city, from social media sites like twitter and flickr. Though the projections vary based on the scenario employed, the result is to give more agency and voice to the citizenry by digitally re-representing the public, data, history etc.

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A blurred boundary between the Physical/Digital creates a question of what is real and what is not. An interplay of sync/disjunction between the two makes the user rethink his belief . (Eg. Gradient between the Physical and the Digital)

Memory Experience in City

Personal Experience

Collective Experience

Manupilation of senses to fabricate a experience a person has never had.

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-Individual_Individual relationship vs Individual_City relationship Static / Dynamic

+ Screens + Projections City through_Google Glass Devices to combine the digital and physical world

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Experience is a culmination of the signals we receive from all our senses viz. Touch, Vision, Smell, Sound. Manipulating the senses can lead to a fabricated experience. The First Experience is not relative and hence can be fabricated.

Screens: - Image of the city for individuals. - Individual creates a image of the city for the city. - Creates interaction between individuals and the city. - City to inform the individual - A window to PAST, POSSIBLE FUTURE, SYNTHETIC EXPERIENCES AND SENARIOS. Phones+Tablets - Create a individual experience - Device to communicate ideas

Playing with oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perception using screens 149

19TH CENTURY pANORAMA A: Entrance and cash desk; B: Darkened corridor; C: Viewing platform; D: Observerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s field of view; E: Cylindrical canvas; F: Three-dimensional foreground (Faux Terrain); G: Objects painted on the canvas

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4| HISTORICAL REFERENCES AND pERCEpTUAL AppROACH Despite a technology-sophisticated interface, ‘The Gaze’ is not without historic precedent. The development of the 19th century panorama similarly provided a totalizing perceptual experience meant to fundamentally change user’s perception of urban reality. The panorama was first pioneered, and patented, by Robert Barker in 1787, when he created a cylindrical painting of Edinburgh for display in London. Typically originating in the cities they represented, panoramas provided fantastical views of the urban atmosphere, often from aerial viewpoints inaccessible to the general public. They became wildly popular because from a centralized viewpoint on an elevated platform - users could understand and take possession of the city. And when distant landscapes or exotic territories were inaccessible, the panorama allowed the user to be a virtual tourist. ‘The Gaze’ similarly proposes a virtual representation of the city. 19th century panoramas employed elaborate rituals to enhance their effect. Often, the users first enters a dark corridor before emerging onto the central platform, serving to disorient them before re situating them in a new reality. Once they emerged they would be located on a dark platform - obscuring the architectural apparatus they’re standing on - while the painting that surrounds them is brightly lit to emphasize its reality. A railing prevented them from walking to the extents of the platform, and a canopy hovered above, both which were used to restrict the user’s field of vision so the scenery appeared endless, even beyond visual extents.

‘The Gaze’ proposes a similar all-encompassing viewing experience. Collectively, the screens form a 360 degree view around the user, intending to wholly alter their perceptual experience. However, unlike the Panorama, this is a space of potential, not re-representation. ‘The Gaze’ does not supplant the image of the city with another one, but rather uses it as a backdrop in which digital alterations augment the viewer’s perceived reality. It similarly employs a ritualized entry practice similar to those of the 19th century panoramas. When the users approach the structure, the fragmented nature of the screens force them to turn, tangent to the centre, and enter a dark interstitial space between the interior and exterior, similar to the dark corridors of its 19th century counterpart. Once inside, a mound indicates the central viewing point for the project, just like the viewing platforms of the old panoramas. But unlike its older counterpart, the viewer can access noncentral viewing locations, since the anamporhposis of the projected image is minimal with the abstract projections. A number of other precedents exist for 360 degree projection, both historic and recent. Projects like Landscape One (1997), Living by Numbers (2001), and Where are you? (2010) range in scale from the room size installation to a wearable apparatus. ‘The Gaze’ similarly seeks to create a totalizing experience, but unlike a body armature or virtual reality device, this experience fundamentally relies on architectural space and creating interior and exterior conditions. 151

Figure (a),(b),(c) is about Combining the panopticon with the panorama, the crowd becomes its own spectacle (e.g. Bon MarchĂŠ).

Robert Mitchell, Barkers Panorama am Leicester Square, British Museum London, um 1800 152

Figure(17) The 1881 Panorama Mesdag in The Hagu 153

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5|ARCHITECTURAL pROjECT ‘The Gaze’ is not about replicating a condition of reality. Contemporary digital culture has already obscured the line between the real and the digital, and the excess of screens in Guangzhou - and Haixinsha island specifically - have remained banal in their attempt to approximate such a condition. That hyperreality propagated by the digital has become part-and-parcel of contemporary experience, and replicating the effect would be of little added experiential value. Rather, ‘The Gaze’ acts as an abstraction. The foundational principle of the digital is also abstraction. The series of binary conditions that composes the digital can collectively approximate, albeit never attain, a real condition. Conversely, ‘The Gaze’ starts at the opposite end of the spectrum, taking the real and abstracting it in order to explicate the digital process; the transparent physical structure emulates the surrounding city until projection alters and abstracts that reality. In the constant dialectic between the two ends, it seeks to make the real, digital, rather than the digital, real.

And the pixel serves as the most visually efficient means to do so. Rather than projecting both real and emulated scenarios, calibrated to the arbitrary size of the screen, the pixels allow for the display of the new, digital representations only. The real does not need to be re-represented, thus reducing the informational input required; the city does not need to be recorded just to be projected again. And by eliminating the overlay of the real and its projection, anamorphic distortion - that could pull the user out of this hyperreal scenario - is significantly reduced. The formal strategy is also inherently referential to the site. The main axis and the adjacent stadium are littered with defunct screens. Rather than trying to obfuscate or deny these surrounding structures, ‘The Gaze’ aims to reference and enhance them. By utilizing a formal language that now stretches across the site, the new screens are not just contextually-sensitive, they also bring a new relevancy and significance to the surrounding site.

This is also accomplished through the pixel. Similar to the binary on/off condition, the pixel is a digital abstraction that approximates a visual reality. Rather than simply projecting a simulated scenario on a contrived surface, the pixilation of image reveals its digital identity. ‘The Gaze’ makes tangible the digital data invisibly pulsating through the city. 155

Prim

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Secondary circulation

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This fragmentation is not just referential, it also seeks to obscure the boundary between interior and exterior. In lacking a continuous enclosure, the splintered wall allows for a veritable continuous osmosis of users through the open and accessible structure. But because the curvature of the screens is calibrated to a central viewing point, and they cover the gaps between fragments when viewing from this single point. Thus, when the user inhabits the spot, it nonetheless replicates the experience of being in an enclosed space. The counterpoint to this enclosed interior experience is a transient and ephemeral exterior. Positing these dual conditions of interior and exterior justifies the architectural presence of the form. From the interior, the structure subsumes the totality of perception, both physically and conceptually consuming the user. From the exterior, the dynamic emergence and disappearance of the pixels, in conjunction with the images projected on them and the shadows they cast, posit a continuous morphogenesis; throughout the day, the alternating pixels cause the structure to appear, disappear, and radically change shape and color. This variable facade does not just create a dynamic structure; it also creates a variable form that extends across the landscape. At moments when the projection occurs without the opaque surface of the pixel, the image - or portion thereof - falls far beyond the structure, into the surrounding landscape. The dynamism of the elevation is thus inverted and multiplied in plan.

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Working of Smart Glass

Step 1_Vacuum foaming

Step 2_Installation of Smart film

Step 3_projection when ON

Step 3_projection when OFF

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6|WORKING pROTOTYpE There are three prototypes developed for the project:One shows the working of smart glass since it is smart glass that allows to create a filter between the digital and the real. Smart glass allows us to control the opacity of the material which allows us to project on or thought the screens. Second prototype shows the working of the pixels discussed before and how projections can be altered by simply switching the smart glass on or off. Smart glass uses PDLC (Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystals) that change their state on transmission of current,

Regulating the voltage dimming of the smart film is possible .Hence the prototype uses a arduino board to control pixels of smart film through an array of relays. This will allow the smart film to respond to different scenarios. Third is a room scale prototype that simulates the experience the observer will have when inside the structure .The changing of pixels, overlapping of screens and the envelope enhances the experience of the scenario projected on the prototype.

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Step 1_Vacuum Forming for Curvatured Surface

formative Screen Prototype : Fabrication Process

Prototype : Fabrication Process Projector Vacuum Forming

360 Degree Projector Proto-Vac 100 in GSD

Proto-Vac 100 in GSD OVEN HEATING PROCESS

VACUMM FORMING PROCESS

Set of Heating coid and Hood BED MAX : 22” X 30” MAX THICKNESS 3/16” HEAT MAX 100(C/Degree) POSSIBLE MATERIALS PETG/COPOLYESTER/POLYSTYRENE/ACRYLIC/PLEXI GLASS

MOLD FABRICATION

100 CELSIUS

MATERIALS : WOOD, METAL, CERAMIC, PLASTER (Materials should resist momentary heat)

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22” x 30” Create mold for each segment

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pixels_Smart Glass_Arduino

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Scenario_1

The first scenareo deals with the idea of making the invisible visible. There is a constant share and exchange of information, ideas, images, texts etc around us through various social mediaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, but we never see this exchange in the space around us. But what if we could see this digital interaction in the space around us? What If you would see the number and types of exchanges in the city? Taking forward these ideas, a scenario was designed to collect geo tagged twitter feed and project in its direction. This would give the person experiencing the space a constantly changing dynamic experience of the city.

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java Script to map and visualize geo-tagged twitter feed

Scenario_1

Projection of Real-Time Twitter Feed_As a overlay on Site 167

Scenario_2 One of the scenario envisioned projects peices of historical images/data onto the screens. These projections act as overlays on the existing infrastructure, giving the observer a peek into the past. The appearing and disappearing of this window into the past, gives the observer a unique experience. This technique can not only be used to reconstruct the past, but also to envision the future. This space can also act as a platform for the city to create and share these own visions. Making â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Gazeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; an important tool for collective expeirence.

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h2.0 Eliott Ephrati Jili Huang 171

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1|DESIGN MANIFESTO Harmony - Balance - Water

water can flow

What does water mean to the chinese culture? what does it symbolizes?

or it can crash

In chinese feng shui, water is meant to help the flow balance, harmony and prosperity into one’s life. The water should be flowing and no stagnant. Feng Shui, the chinese philosophical system, serves as harmonizing the human existence with the surrounding environment. Interestingly enough, the direct translation of feng shui is “wind-water.” These practices focus in the “invisible forces,” that connects the universe, earth and man together. That connection is well known as the energy, also known as chi. Water has a significant impact in the cultural foundation of a Chinese person. However, water isn’t the harmony of the universe, earth and man. In fact, water is simply the best possible representation of the chinese’s idealization of balance. Water reminds oneself to be flowing and not be stagnant. Water represents the ideology but isn’t the ideology itself. Let’s look at one example: In here, Bruce Lee reveals his fundamental technique in Kung-fu by using water as a representation. Bruce Lee said in one of its interview:

be water my friend” Harmony In the chinese culture, Harmony determines the perfect nexus between the universe, earth and man. It is said that a man who achieves inner peace is at its utter synchronized nexus between himself and chi. It is like a river to which the water is at its utmost calmed moment where there is no waves. Just a beautiful flat surface. Harmony, also represents the combination of musical notes to produce chords and chord progressions in order to have a pleasing effect. Generally, that unity of notes creates a consonance to which a melody emerges. Unlike water, harmony is the nexus and unity to which everything is connected. It is not a representation of the balance but the perfect balance itself. While water is used as a representation, sound itself, is closer related to harmony than simply being a representation of a concept.

“empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water now you put water into a cup it becomes the cup

Sound

you put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle

Music, during the zhou dynasty was a manifestation of the “Sound of nature.” This concept has influenced

you put it into teapot, it becomes the teapot

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chinese thinking on music. The five elements involves, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Chinese Music revolves around the pentatonic scale [circle of fifths]; meaning that only 5 notes are being played from the scale itself. A scale constitute generally of 7 different notes. If we were to translate itself: 1-Earth (keng) = do 2-Metal (shang) = re 3-Wood (Chueh) = mi 5-Fire (Chih) = sol 6-Water (Yue) = la If we were to play the pentatonic scale in that order [starting from do/Earth], we would hear the chinese traditional scale. The pentatonic follows that order but can start at a different tone. If we were to start at the Water note [la], for instance, then the “Water Scale” would be: la, do, re, mi, sol It is most striking that the water scale, is in fact more closely related to Indian style music. Additionally, if we were to change a note by a small accidental (it would add either a flat or a sharp but it wouldn’t change the note itself), then we would be on a scale that folk hungarian music uses. As you can see, there is a correlation between the scale itself and its path towards the West. Coincidently, that scale that can fit to the West is the “Water scale” itself.

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Water Throughout history, the western culture has always been a step away in the future of civilization. While the east had its own form of technology, it didn’t properly launched until a primary interaction happened between the Western and Eastern world. The only way that this interaction was possible, and accessible, was through water. The sea was the connection between the two continent. In a way, the water could be referred as the “path” to the future.]\ Haixinsha Island We were brought to Guangzhou to solve an issue. Hai Shin Sha island was used once for the Asia Olympic. Architects built an incredible edifice that was used as a stand for the big event. Now that the event is over, the stand isn’t used for anything. Nothing in this region is happening. Thus, Jili and I had to sit down and define the Island. What was it used for? What does it represent? What about its geographical location and its interaction? Let’s take a look at Guangzhou and its new city. Hai shin sha island is situated at the peak of the new city. In a way, that island acts as the connector between the north [new city] and south [old but not historic] part of Guangzhou. By researching the geography of the island, we came to a conclusion that the Island is simply the catalyst to a new city that will be predicted to be constructed in the South part of Guangzhou. The north part of Guangzhou, aka the new city, has truly a well thought-out urban architecture.

Instead of copying the New York western style, Guangzhou architects did something different. They created a nexus between the traditional chinese culture and the western “new york” culture. Traditional culture vs. Western Culture New York is known as the center of the world. It is seen as the center of wall street and America’s power. When you look at Manhattan’s skyscrapers, the inhabitant can easily feel intimidated by the building themselves. It might seem that the significance of the individual is being shifted to the building. In other words, the building’s height compared to the individual’s height is so disproportionate that the significance between the two is shifted to the building. Next to the edifice, the user feels insignificant and thus overwhelmed by the building. That significance feeling rose up after walking around the old city in Guangzhou. The urban design at this geographical spot was rather low. The old city did not only have low building height, but also had a lot of space in between the buildings. The user’s significance is indirectly related to the building height. The spacing between the building is also a factor to take into the equation: User[significance] = 1 / Building[height] + Building[distance] + User[Culture] That equation was created by comparing New York, Guangzhou’s old city and Guangzhou’s new city. In the new city, one can not only benefit of the grand monument’s sight but also keep their significance as an individual. The Urban architects of Guangzhou

definitely took into consideration the inverse relation between the building height and user significance and was able to have both by creating enough space between the buildings so that the user doesn’t feel overwhelmed. This is a great example that represents the “Chinese” future. Rather than copying New York, they brilliantly took in consideration the traditional chinese culture and mixed it with the western vision of power and future. That blend represents the Chinese future itself. Now what about the south? It is part of the Chinese culture to keep the ancient monuments as historical artifacts. However, the time description of the word ancient isn’t 100 or 200 years, but more towards 1000 to 2000 years. The South portion of Guangzhou is barely 100 years old and thus has not much significance to the Chinese culture or the Chinese history. In other words, the South section of Guangzhou could easily be wiped out and rebuilt. Thus, the South section becomes an opportunity to which the Chinese people of Guangzhou could dream to create and innovate the future of their city. So if the south is the future of Guangzhou, what does it mean for Hai Shin Sha Island? The Hai Shin Sha island is situated right at the middle between the North Section and the South section of Guangzhou. In a way, the Hai Shin Sha island is the connector between the two sections. But how do we move people towards the south? What is the role of the Hai Shin Sha island? 175

The island should be a catalyst. In the end, the people are the one creating the future actively depending on their vision. Thus we want to create a space to which people find inspiration for them to create the future. That island stands right in front of a space of opportunity, the south section, for which people can come and spur a vision of the future. In the traditional education, everything is a set amount of rules to which students have to follow. Those rules, if respected, brings an education to which the student is forced to think within a box and never outside of the box. Which is why we see many case of C students who becomes CEO of companies. Those students generally challenge the main idea and are not afraid of standing outside of the box even though 2-decades written theories would prove them wrong. The traditional education force people to stay inside of the box and thus attenuate the creativity while amplifying the efficiency. As an example, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take a look at the Guangzhou University town. That town regrouped 10 universities together in on island. While those relocation might seem like it would have taken a few years, it actually took less than 1 year to finish this project. Due to the traditional education, the balance of efficiency vs. creativity is clearly extreme. Which is why Hai Shin Sha Island needs to become an innovative catalyst. H2.0 With the historical description of water and sound, we can attest that those two natural forces are indeed engraved into the Chinese tradition. 176

In order to give a catalyst of creativity, our research must contain the definition and understanding of the future. Through our research, we found out that the control of natural elements is an advancement to the technology. As an example, the technology and future of sound started with simple performances and as a result we now create sound through digitized machine. We use sinusoidal machine that exports an Alternative Current voltage at a constant rate to which it is then translated to a magnetic impedance speaker that creates the sound itself. Additionally, through our research, we defined water as not only the representation of the chinese culture but also the static and passive connection between China and the western world, which is seen as the future. Sound on another hand, is an active connection. As we saw through the Water Scale, the music itself is actively transported, modulated and settled in different culture towards the west. H2.0 uses the future technology in order to create and control the natural element that are engraved in the Chinese Culture. H2.0 includes a digital sound system that sends the sinusoidal vibrations towards a stream of water. That stream of water then reproduces the sound wave that the speaker is generating. The water is not only a representation of the sound but also a passive connection between the interaction of the user and the sound. The sound is generated from the peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interaction. Whether it is motion, sound, and presence.

That system will be installed on individual lamps that will be going all around the Hai Shin Sha island. The lamp will have two different mode: Active and Passive If the lamp is Passive, each individual lamp will be interacting with a user that is in front of them. The interaction will be close and intimate. Thus it will only affect the perspective of the user itself.

passive mode of the lamps provides different scales of embodied responsiveness, both intimate and open interaction. Lastly, H2.0 could inspire future innovator to use the power of waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s malleability to recreate any sort of form. That form could potentially be used as a real hologram where light could be absorbed rather than reflected. The flexibility of the technology is what creates its digital longevity.

However, when the lamp is active, all the lamps will be connected by phone controlled application so that the user can control H2.0. H2.0 is indeed an array of lamps around the Hai Shin Sha island will blur the lines that separates the north section, the south section and the island. That blur will create the connection necessary to start imprinting a vision into the Chinese individuals. Additionally, one of the greatest motivation to creation and imagination is the hope that whatever is in the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind, it is possible for it to happen. That hope is generated by the control of the island. The interaction of the H2.0 being active creates a potential control of such a scale, that the user will not only feel empowered but he will then start dreaming. The stands that were already in place would place an important role for the people to view the whole interaction between the user and H2.0. As a conclusion, H2.0 is created using chinese precedent, by understanding the perception and identity of the chineseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture. It uses a digital system to re-create and control the physical thus by creating a feedback between those inversions. The active and 177

REFERENCES -- “Chinese Music’s Five Elements, Five Tones.” Epoch Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014. -- “Chinese Music.” Prezi.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014. -- “Sixth Chord.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 July 2014. Web. 15 May 2014. -- “Chinese Music.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 15 May 2014. Web. 15 May 2014. -- “Chinese Musical Notation.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 July 2014. Web. 15 May 2014. -- “Gongche Notation.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Nov. 2014. Web. 15 May 2014. -- ”Analects.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 15 May 2014. Web. 15 May 2014.

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2|CONTEXT AND SITE ANALYSIS How we learn & develop … “温故而知新，可以为师矣。” “三人行，必有我师也。择其善者而从之，其不善者而之。” --孔子《论语》 “One is worthy of being or becoming a teacher if one is able to derive new understanding while revising what he has learned.” “In a group of three people, there is always something I can learn from. Choose to follow the strengths of others, use the shortcomings to reflect upon ourselves. ” -- Confucius “The Analects” We learn from both self and the others. Thoughts are triggered by encounters between self-character and other people’s opinion. Through these thoughts people learn to adapt, and consequently develop themselves. Guangzhou is the same. The modern history indicates that the development of Guangzhou is propelled by the encounters between the existing local culture and imported western civilization. Through a century of absorption, conflict, struggle, survive, mutate, extinct … Guangzhou has become its present appearance, and will continuously develop through this methodology towards the future. Haixinsha Island can become the pioneer of future due to its unique location. The island sits in the zhujiang River, which has a long tradition of importing foreign goods and ideas. This is the window that the city communicates with the other countries. Also, the island sits in the heart of Tianhe 180

district and can have a radiate effect to the city. With a 360 degree view of the city as a background, The island can easily overlap the imported cultures on the local circumstances. As a catalysis the island create a platform to emphasis the culture encounters, and therefore bring extra power for the city of Guangzhou to move forward. People are drawn from different parts of the city to island and are exposed to these intense encounters. This will trigger them to think, to understand and to change. Like in the “The Analects”, These people are learning about the potential possibilities of future. These people will also spread their thoughts and discussion to the whole city. These people will become to builders of the future of Guangzhou City.

In local districts of Guangzhou such as shamian, we can still see the strong Western influence towards the traditional culture. These live signs has become the new and unique tradition of Guangzhou. In future the city of Guangzhou will constantly grow in such methodology.

image from website

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The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main axis is shifting from west to east along the river. Haisinsha can become the node that radiates influence to the whole city.

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People are drawn from different parts of the city to island, and then spread the new ideas to the other parts of the city. Then sequence can be reversed, and the island always stands in the middle to become the catalysis.

DIAGRAM/IMAGE

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Source: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Haixinsha Island.â&#x20AC;? Pearl River International Hotel Overview. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014.

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To become a perpetual pioneer of future, the island calls for technologies that adapts changes and create different expressions. One primary goal of the installation on the island is having extended digital longevity. A certain, definite thing will easily get bored over time. Only uncertain morphosis will extend that longevity and thus allowing the island becoming the everlasting pioneer.

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3|DESIGN CONCEpT “水是万物之本源，是以圣人之所化世，其解在水中” --管仲 Water is the origin of the everything. To the Sage solving the problems in the world, the answer lies in water.” --Guan zhong In China, we say the glory of this 25 thousands civilization starts with controlling the flood. Water has always been and always will be the indicator of Chinese history. The history starts from worshiping water (a phenomenon not able to understand), to create fiction from water (trying the explain the phenomenon), to have inspiration from water (understand the phenomenon and start to develop concepts), to manipulate water (controlling the phenomenon for better use). For an installation aiming towards the future. Water is one criteria of the design concept. In this installation, the water functions as a media for people to understand the vague culture encounters. (in this case the encounter between local sound and external sound) Also, the methodology of manipulating water by the most natural way itself already indicates a progressive approach of technology.

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Sound is the other criteria of this installation. Sound is vibration, it includes tones, music, movement ... etc. The understanding of sound itself is actually varied by culture. In fact, This is one instance of culture encounters. In advance, peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s motion will trigger vibration and sounds. Take the local folk music and grand-plaza dance for example. People are surrounded by sounds without noticing. This installation will use water as a media to make people of the sound element and actually interact with it. Source: http://www.guzheng.net/

Source: (opposite)

Source:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ethanoelman/4937760548/

http://sowm.cn/geekpark/article/

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The systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on/off is triggered by the appearance of a person. The default frequency of sound is collected from the city and thus the water will start with a default appearance.

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4|pERCEpTUAL AppROACH The interaction experience with this installation involve the sense of vision, hearing and touching. Vision is the scenes of waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appearance and movement. Hearing is the sound triggering while conveied by water. Touching is the motion that people interact with the system.

of culture. They will also have a intensive experience of the encounter situation between the local and the external.

By default, the system will have a pre-recorded sound from the city (which is the local context that usually ingored.) The systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on/off is triggered by the appearance of a person. As the person approach, the water will start to dance in its default setup. As the people begin to interact with the water, his movement will be captured by sensors. These sensors will translate the data into amptitude and input into the water. The variation of the amptitude will trigger different appearances of water, creating a scenario that water react accordingly with the person. The data can be overwrited by a third person using a mobile app. The app can select installations in different areas and input frequency and amptitude data. From grandstand there are big screens to monitor the overwrited scenarios. This is the external influence of the system (imported culture). Through this back and forth process people will start to notice and understand this one little aspect 191

We have sensors to detect the peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s movements. The clapping, jumping... will be translated to amptitude and transmitted to water. By dancing with water the person will learn about the sound.

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It is possible for the other person to overwrite the amptitude/frequency by terminal Apps. Web cam image will also be transmitted. This is the external influence. 193

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5|ARCHITECTURAL pROjECT In order to make full use of the existing infrastructure and resources, while at the same time creating an intensive experience scenario drawing people to come to the island, we cover all the available land between the lake and the center pool with the installation. The light and water element will cooperate with the lake and the lighting environment of Guangzhou and consequently blur the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boundary. The installation unit will disperse densely in these areas. While people are walking along the park route, they can enter the site at anytime and start a interactive experience. The hard ground will allow people to come together and entertain (grand-plaza dancing), and the water will dance alongside with them. The existing grandstage have the advantage to overwatch the whole island. The existing seats will allow people to sit down and use mobile App to control the responsive scenarios. The existing screens can monitor various parts of the site. The installation project is active for 24 hours. Also, since each time the experience is different people would want to come back to the island for multiple times. Also everyone will want to have a chance to create their own scenarios through the App and see how the others perform in front of it. This is an installation that will never be bored and the variations will have the potential to become perpetual.

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The installation covers the areas between the lake and the center pool. This is blurs the boundaries of water and the land, allowing people to fully immerse themselves to the responsive scenario. 196

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The existing screen of the grandstand can be use to monitor the different parts of the park. Mobile Apps can change the input to certain areas of the installations.

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Variation by amplitude

Variation by frequency

Variation by water amount

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6|WORKING pROTOTYpE

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Audio speaker test

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The design of the lamp is based on the traditional Chinese lantern and water symbols.

Top View

Elevation

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Harvard University Graduate School of Design

SCUT South China Univesity of Technology