LIGHT UP THE DAY

CODESIGN WORKSHOP

This project started with the title of “Floor Wars”. Floor Wars is a design prototype that focuses on using games to engage and empower the community to control the aesthetics of the garage. The concept manifests in dynamically changing lights controlled in masse by people interacting with the garage. Garage visitors are able to place their vote by selecting an answer on the voting board located by the stairs on each floor. Each answer corresponds to a different color, and the color of each floor’s majority answer is displayed on the garage façade. As the lights change color, they help bring the garage alive, at any hour of the day. This not only makes the garage considerably more visually interesting, both internally and externally, but can help inspire those within the garage. As people leave their mark by voting, it is as if the space has acknowledged their presence and changed from their interaction, making users feel noticed and part of a larger community.

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

Exterior light exploration

Exterior light exploration

Poll booth concept exploration

INTERVENTION PROPOSAL
LIGHT UP THE DAY

Your Vote Influences the Transformation of the Garage Facade

Unfortunately, campus parking garages are seemingly neglected areas of campus—poorly lit, dirty, smelly and ugly. The Ohio State University takes great care to landscape and maintain campus, but this isn’t prevalent in the parking garages. In order to help generate a culture of care on campus, the parking garages need some help in showing they aren’t neglected, and are, in fact, cared about—just like the campus community.

“Light up your Day” combines beauty and interaction to help generate a culture of care surrounding the parking garage. As someone is leaving or entering the garage on foot, they can cast their daily vote on the screens by each exit/entrance. After their vote has been placed, they can exit the garage to see the lit pattern they’ve just helped create on the exterior because the facade of the garage has bulbs that light up with each vote. Passerby’s can admire the façade of the garage too.

The goal of the poll system is to provide a moment of interaction for someone to connect with daily, while impacting the appearance of the garage. Because the pattern and color of the garage lights change with the daily votes, the exterior of the garage is ever changing. The poll question asked changes every day so that users can have this interaction daily. The types of questions always have two possible answers and are lighthearted and fun, such as, “If you could time travel, would you rather go to the past or future?”

The moment of interaction that occurs via the poll booth represents care because it means the university cares about an individual’s opinion, while the lights on the outside beautify the garage and demonstrate care for the appearance of the garage itself. Because of this, the garage users should feel more cared about, and the campus community should feel like the university hasn’t neglected the parking garages. Once the campus community catches on to how the pattern of lights are generated, those who don’t park in the garage may even come into it to vote—which would make even more individuals feel cared for and generate more foot traffic to this neglected space. Most people have a sense of longing to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and this voting light installation gives them that opportunity daily.