CODESIGN WORKSHOP
The students at The Ohio State University have renovated the parking garages to create a Culture of Care by encouraging people to interact with their environment in a youthful way.
Part of the Big Swing Energy project is bringing an element of surprise to the Ohio State campus. The swings encourage socialization and interacting with people that they might not meet otherwise. Every person who swings generates energy to power the garage. The total energy generated is displayed on the outside of the garage so people who do not use the garage still can see the impact of every person who has played there.
Another feature that generates energy and encourages play are the Gear Memorials near the stairwells on each level. Prior to the reopening of the garage, the OSU community invited its members to dedicate individual gears to remember those that we have lost to suicide and mental illness. The names and positive thoughts are engraved into the gears to show a visual connection that relate back to the purpose of the redesign. When visitors rotate the gears they generate more energy which is reflected on the energy count display board. The activation of the gears also metaphorically activates the memory of those we have lost, representing their continuous impact on the OSU community.
The Chalk Walls located on each level of the parking garage offer visitors the opportunity to contribute their artwork and positive messages. This further reinforces a Culture of Care through a nostalgic approach.
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
This is an initial draft render of how the swings would look in the alley. We decided to change the direction the swings are facing. Moving forward, we are rendering the final form and adding color adjustments in photoshop.
Initial sketch showing how the swings could interact with the structure of the garage using light and color.
This is an initial sketch overlay of how the light tubes of the swings would interact with the interior of the garage.
Refining the lighting system traveling in the garage to get to our final concept of the light tubes.
INTERVENTION PROPOSAL
BIG SWING ENERGY
Parking Garage Lighting Fueled by People’s Energy
Between the parking garage patrons and the foot traffic passing by, thousands of people within the OSU Community see the Ohio Union Parking Garages on a daily basis. However, are they really seeing them? The solid concrete structure lit with standard fluorescent lighting makes the garage just another non-place–a place completely void of personal connections and interactions. The pathway between the two parking garages is a common route for people traveling from High Street to the campus. We wanted to utilize this space and also create a connection between this space and the inside of the parking garages. This project is driven by the idea of creating connections–connections between people and connections between people and spaces. The goal of this project is to create a moment of pause on campus and to bring a moment of joy and nostalgia to someone’s day.
To create this moment of pause, we are envisioning multiple swings placed in the area between the two garages. The swings would be on both sides of the existing walkway, swinging parallel to the walls of the garages. Vertical poles, stretching up from the swings, would connect them to the garage. These poles would have lights on them that are activated by the swings’ motion. Each pole would curve at a right angle and extend into a level of the garage, continuing to travel along the ceiling and lighting up that level of the garage. The poles would lengthen to varying heights as they extend into different floors of the garage. As a result, each floor of the garage would have different colored lights stretched along the ceiling, dependent upon which poles are attached to it.
As individuals swing, they will be able to see the light they are creating as it extends above them and into the garage. This light will also be seen by those within the garage, adding to the experience of the interior. Additionally, the lights will be visible to those passing by too, expanding their effect even further.
The impact this design could make is continuous. Suddenly a garage; which is seen as a non-place, is brought to life through human connections. These connections begin on a micro level between a person and a place and continue further onto a macro level, when that connection becomes person to person. This cycles back to the space that allowed for that person to person interaction and connection , giving the space a continuous value as people create the association.
When you think of creating a lasting impact, it’s important to recognize that the design you create doesn’t only serve its’ intended purpose, but that it extends far beyond that purpose. You accomplish this by providing different possibilities to the user, in which they can experience the design. This not only creates a strong design, but also one that appeals to different users. This also makes the design complete, as the user is the co-designer, upon experiencing the design itself and making their connection with the space, as well as sharing it ; whether intentionally or as a byproduct.
The swings and lights we designed allow for people to experience the garage in various ways. People parking their cars experience the lights and have the opportunity to use the swings upon understanding where the lights generate. Those passing by have the opportunity to experience the swings and upon discovering the lights generated into the garage, might enter it. Those who decide to use the swings might tell their friends about it. But it doesn’t stop there, as you do have indirect impact too. Those who pass by and see others using the swings , might also be influenced as a natural byproduct of walking by and seeing the possible experience they could have.
As time goes by and the design’s element of surprise diminishes to the immediate community, a couple opportunities present themselves. For one it becomes a memorable place for that community and gains value as part of it’s identity. Similar to hot spots or must see landmarks when you visit different cities. Another opportunity is that there will always be someone who is experiencing it for the first time. This doesn’t just impact that person, but those who observe that person’s experience too. We have all had that moment where we pass by a place and see someone else having their first experiences with it, their emotions, expressions and interactions. It takes us back and we relive those emotions, even if for a few seconds. This is what creates lasting impact, a design that exists on multiple layers of the human experience.
