GATHER
PIXELTER : Urban Pixel Intervention for The Homeless Population
BEDS
CLINIC
HYGIENE CENTER
Yuhui Xu, Xinyi Wu July 28, 2016
PERKINS + WILL SEATTLE | INNOVATION INCUBATOR
WHAT IS PIXELTER? INCUBATOR PROJECT TIMELINE 03/17/2016
It all started with us fascinated by Seattle’s Gum Wall and how people participate and collectively make things. From there came the idea for Pixelter - a proposal aiming at the dual missions of promoting Seattle community participation, and pride in the city to help the homeless acquire necessities. In this proposal, the role of designers is to provide a framework and platform that can serve both goals at the same time. With the help of new technologies such as web crowdsourcing and 3D printing, everybody can be engaged.
Project Milstones 2016 MARCH
APRIL
JUNE
Kick-off/Visits/Interviews Prototyping/Design Development /Internal Workshop Trips Design Development Final Deliverables/Documentation/Presentation Local Manufacturer Oursource
Announcement
Site Visit Site Visit Interview
Site Visit/Design Review
Regular Check-in with Incubator Committee Project Time Distribution (30 Hours)
For many years Perkins+Will’s has dedicated effort to social responsibility to help the underserved with high-quality professional services; Pixelter is part of our effort to address the city’s most pressing issue.
MAY
3 Hours
Internal Feedback Gathering
Public Feedback Gathering
Final Due
RAPID Conference RAPID Conference is the national 3D manufacturing event serving as the platform for the newest technologies of additive manufacturing. 3 Hours 24 Hours
+16 Hours PTO
Carta Innovation Lab Visit Carta Innovation lab is a studio space at Florida International University which incorporates mass 3D printing possibilities. Every 2 students shared a desktop 3D Printer sponsored by Makerbot. SEATTLE
THE PROBLEM: HOMELESSNESS CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS
578,424
In January 2014, people in the United States were homeless on any given night, which means-
2 out of every 1,000 people
in the United States are homeless. Most (69%) were staying in residential programs for homeless
179,311 (31%), were
people, and the rest, found in unsheltered locations.
Homelessness tends to be more severe in higher density urban areas
SEATTLE
* HUD: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
SEATTLE
THE PROBLEM: HOMELESSNESS IN SEATTLE
Homelessness is a crisis in King County. In 2015
10,000
alone, over people experienced homelessness on any given day, and nearly 40 percent of those were unsheltered. The One Night Count in King County tallied
4,505
people living unsheltered, on sidewalks, in cars, and tents on January 29, 2016. In addition, another 3,200 individuals were in emergency shelters and 2,983 were in transitional housing.
* Numbers and picture from ALL HOME’s website http://allhomekc.org/the-problem/#the-numbers * Map on the right doesn’t show all the areas of Seattle
Pioneer Square is one of the neighborhoods that calls for special attention. Although there are existing facilities, we need to put more effort to help. SEATTLE
SEATTLE
HIGH
SITE VISITS OBSERVATIONS
IMPORTANCE TO HOMELESSNESS
MEDICATION JOB TRAINING BED
WATER
FOOD
LAUNDRY
SOCKS
SHOWER SHELTER READING
CLOTHING
RESTROOM STORAGE LOCKERS
ADVICE
TENT SEAT
GATHERING
Pictures of Mary’s Place Family Center, 130 Stoneway and Mary’s Place Women’s Day Center
LOW
• Mary’s place provided great examples for formal shelter facilities which try to provide many services in one building. Pros: one-stop for those in need. Cons: might disengage with the neighborhood. • Due to limited resources, the shelters help certain groups of the homeless such as families and women.
LOW SEATTLE
RELEVANCE TO PROJECT
HIGH SEATTLE
PIXELS AS URBAN INTERVENTION: EXAMPLES
ROOF PIXEL
CLOTHES TREE
SOCK STATION
STORAGE PIXEL
SEATTLE
PIXELS AS URBAN INTERVENTION
To encourage everyone to help, rather than addressing all the needs in the same building, each pixel would address a single function and diseminate into communities.
To maximize efficiency, pixels will take advantage of existing urban infrastructures.
SEATTLE
SEATTLE
CITIZEN/COMMUNITYENGAGEMENT: LEARNING FROM THE GUM WALL $
Homelessness is bad, but what is worse is that most people don’t pay attention or have no idea how to contribute.
$
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Helping the homeless is a collaborative effort - everyone should be empowered to help.
!
Seattle’s Gum Wall was recently cleaned for the first time in two decades, but before the ink on the newspaper was dry, it was quickly repopulated. We’ve discovered some interesting nuances of the Gum Wall: it shows that both Seattleites and visitors enjoy the collective hands-on interaction, and people will keep build the gum wall up, layer upon layer, despite intervention from the public health authorities. From designers’ perspective, this is an opportunity. What if people’s desire to “pasteand-see-it-there” could be channeled to collectively and incrementally build up urban resource exchange stations and other temporary facilities? Can we design an architectural vocabulary as simple as Lego blocks and allow people to constructurban spaces and have fun? Dispatchwork -SEATTLE Jan Vormann
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Homelessness has reached emergency status. Our project is the first step of this long-term The -goal of Pixelter is to encourage effort it calls community attention and and empower thetopublic to participate in public participation understand responsibility to space creation, especially spaces for the help. underserved.
SEATTLE
INNOVATION: TECHNOLOGIES
IDEA
A slogan of stating to take responsibility
Traditionally, buildings are not constructed spontaneously like the Gum Wall; there are multiple distinct systems that can only be handled by professionals. However, the wide use of computer aided design and 3D printing technologies in the last decade has changed fabrication techniques and opens up possibilities for structures to be built using crowdsourced 3D printing.
SEATTLE
3D PRINTER
SHARE
PRODUCTION
SEATTLE
INNOVATION: LEARNING FROM THE GUM WALL
$ $
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SEATTLE
PLATFORM: SHARE ON THE CLOUD
3
SEATTLE
SEATTLE
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCUSSION AND SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS!
1, Choose your neighborhood. 2, Access your neighborhood’s discussion page to see what others have been thinking! 3, You can sharing your ideas and proposal the solutions or proceed to our sample projects for reference. 4, And make an object to help your neighbors! * Image referenced http://www.vertabelo.com/blog/technical-articles/database-model-for-an-online-discussion-forum-part-2 SEATTLE
SEATTLE
INNOVATION: RESEARCH HOW ARE WE EMPOWERED BY 3D PRINTING?
We attended the RAPID Conference in Orlando this past May. The RAPID Conference is the national 3D manufacturing event serving as the platform for the neweast technologies of additive manufacturing. This inspired our prototypes. SEATTLE
SEATTLE
PILOT PROTOTYPE: FOLDABLE SURFACE In this case, we tested something that could be folded and disappear on the street yet unflolded to collect and distrubute the donation of small necessities such as socks.
1
Collecting Pixel (SMALL) | Collapsible Box Collector This 1 prototype allows people to donate small items for the use of those in need. Mount they to the wall or street signage posts using thePixel built-in connection. To use, rotate the box out Collecting (SMALL) and place your items inside.
Using 3D printing technology, we can share the printable files on the platform and allow individuals 1 to download and print from their own desktop 3D printers.
| Collapsible Box Collector
Download now and have fun! This prototype allows people to donate small items for the use of those in need. Mount they to the wall or street signage posts using the built-in connection. To use, rotate the box out and place your items inside. Download now and have fun!
1 2
2 2
3
Shelter Pixel (MEDIUM) | Bench Sleeping Bag
Collecting Pixel (X SMALL) | Flower Gift Collector
2 prototype will be fixed to benchs and provide temporary This thermal insulation for those in need. To use, unfold the sleepbag from its “armrest” status and cover your body with it. Shelter Pixel (MEDIUM)
This prototype allows people to donate small items for the use of those in need. To use, unfold the “petals” and place your items inside. Weather-proofing will be added in the later phase of design.
|Download Bench and Sleeping Bag have fun!
Download now! Foldable Structure Space Sharing, Easy to Blend-in This prototype will be fixed to benchs and provide temporary 3D Printing 1-Click Away, Ready to Install thermal insulation for those in need. To use, unfold the sleepCrowdsource and Opensource Innovation and Collaboration bag from its “armrest” status and cover your body with it.
Download and have fun! SEATTLE
SEATTLE
Seattle | Downtown
1
Collecting Pixel (SMALL) | Collapsible Box Collector This prototype allows people to donate small items for the use of those in need. Mount they to the wall or street signage posts using the built-in connection. To use, rotate the box out and place your items inside. Download now and have fun!
1
2 2
Shelter Pixel (MEDIUM) | Bench Sleeping Bag This prototype will be fixed to benchs and provide temporary thermal insulation for those in need. To use, unfold the sleepbag from its “armrest� status and cover your body with it. Download and have fun!
SEATTLE
Seattle | Downtown
3
3
Collecting Pixel (X SMALL) | Flower Gift Collector This prototype allows people to donate small items for the use of those in need. To use, unfold the “petals” and place your items inside. Weather-proofing will be added in the later phase of design. Download now! SEATTLE
This project started with a good intention to make a difference in our community; curiosity of new technologies and passion, it gets a lot of support around and outside our office. We hope it could be fun to read for many and inspiring to some. For next steps: 1. Support from the city of Seattle; 2. Additional product development; 3. Get additional funding; 4. Engage communities and designers.
NEXT STEPS SEATTLE
SEATTLE
SPECIAL THANKS: A big thank you to our office for opening up the door of opportunity for innovations, with your support, we are able to push our ideas further. Additional thanks to those who are interested and share their insights and feedbacks in this project. Your thoughts feed into this project and is crucial to its completion.
• Perkins Will Seattle Office • Gavin Smith • Carsten Stinn • Cameron Hall • Marjorie Brown • Geordie Selkirk • Christa Wood • Kirk Malanchuk • Kirsten Keane • Mary’s Place • Studio Fathom • FIU Innovation Lab
ABOUT US
YUHUI XU Yuhui is a recent graduate from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and has worked as an architectural designer at the Perkins+Will Seattle office. She won first place in the office-wide Innovation Incubator challenge, with the proposal of Pixelter, aiming to integrate new technologies and open internet sources to empower people to be more engaged in alleviating homelessness in Seattle.
XINYI WU Xinyi is a recent graduate from Columbia University and has worked as an intern in Shanghai and Seattle. She now works in the Perkins+Will Seattle office as an architectural designer. Attracted by the initial proposal of Pixelter, she joined the team to help develop the project.