Glowing City is an interactive installation that aims to change the way we create our surroundings and the public spaces, exploring the intersections of design with advanced technologies.
The goal of this project is to to create an emotive design, that could also function as an illuminating and interactive installation for the city, capable to engage us in an emotive and responsive way, by generating kinetic, visual and acoustic feedback. By introducing new technologies, this project aims to help people to experience the city in a new, exciting and playful way, thus creating a more connected, responsive and responsible community.
There is also an educational side to this project. Our purpose is to make people aware of the possibilities and advantages of using smart materials and renewable energy/ solar energy, instead of conventional electric power. We would like to create a better version of Bucharest, focusing on protecting and improving the environment we live in, thus providing a smart and economical alternative towards a sustainable city, and promoting a healthier lifestyle for its citizens.
Picture 01: Prototype of the dandelion flower in a natural setting, created using Grasshoper – an algorithmic modelling software for Rhino. Photovoltaic cells placed on the top of the flower absorb the sunlight during the day.
The installation consists of 1 to 5 flowers, whose designs are inspired by a plant that is widely common in our country, the dandelion, that is used for therapeutic purposes. The installation will be easy to implement and can be configured for any site, creating an ambient and illuminated environment during the night and an interactive audio installation during the day, in residential, commercial and public settings. During the day, different instruments can be triggered by the movement of people or passing cars, with the help of the proximity sensors hidden under each flower. Also, the flowers will absorb the sunlight thanks to the photovoltaic cells/ solar panels, that are placed on the top of the installation, transforming it into a fully integrated and controllable LED illumination at night.
Picture 02: Prototype of the illuminating system at a rooftop party. The installation will be designed so that it could be easily implemented in residential, commercial and public settings.
We consider placing the installation in University Square, due to its central location and proximity to other touristic objectives. Also, our target group includes people of all ages, who would generate different patterns of programmed sounds during the day and different patterns of colors during the night, simply by just approaching the installation.
For this project we are aiming to create an environmentally stable and feasible illumination and interactive system that stands up to the harshest outdoor environments, but at the same time we would like to be given the opportunity to extend our research in the interaction design field.Using recent scientific developments, we would like take advatange of this competition and start creating the city that we are all wishing for.
For this project we are aiming to create an environmentally stable and feasible illumination and interactive system that stands up to the harshest outdoor environments, but at the same time we would like to be given the opportunity to extend our research in the interaction design field.Using recent scientific developments, we would like take advatange of this competition and start creating the city that we are all wishing for.
