Wide-eyed wonder
Design a public activation that brings to life amazing facts and feats of the new Google building at KGX. These interactions must be engaging, interactive and focus on how the building is useful to others. Developed through processes of co-discovery and design explore, express, and engage how the building acts and responds to the needs of its occupants and communities.
The outcomes will follow the overall objective set by the London Festival of Architecture: ‘to meaningfully engage the public in an aspect of their built environment’. The overall theme of the festival is ‘Act.’
Project Type
Team
Duration
9 Weeks
Role
Ideation . Prototype . Sourcing Material . Budgeting .
Interacting with user . Final Model Development
Client Briefing_Google
The project was set in motion by a team from Google. We were briefed about different innovations and ambition of the new Google Building in King’s Cross.
Innovations of new Google Building in King’s Cross :
6 Topics for Installation
These were the 6 topics for the installations and we choose innovation.
Brand Constrains
Constrains and Criteria_Google x Camden
The Kings Cross estate staff (Camden Council) briefed us about the safety concern that we must consider while designing the installation. These were some constrains and criteria from Google and Camden Council that we had to consider while designing.
Brainstorming
Ideation 1
Brainstorming ideas based on different innovations in Googles new building at Kings Cross, London.
Detailed Ideation
Ideation 2
Quick Prototype
Hands on model making and Testing
Camden Community Center
Community Workshop_ Insights
We conducted a workshop to understand what people think innovation is and their interpretation of innovation. Our aim was also to understand correlation between innovation and people.
We asked some questions to the participants and we also gave them a small activity. Some of the questions we asked them were What do you think innovation is?, What is an object that you own you think is very innovative?, What was an innovative object that you had during your childhood?, What colour represents innovation? The activity was about creating a narration using the paper cubes with images on all its side. It had clock, ruler, air balloon, terrarium, Piano and blind. All these images were chosen to indirectly represent the google innovation, eg: terrarium for roof top garden, blinds for mullions, etc.
Lenses of Innovation
Our installation_Innovation
Our installation seeks to merge the conceptual and intentional innovations in the building. We seek to question the different perspectives of innovation while viewing the building as a metaphor to do so. Our lenses reflect this and are meant to make the viewer question what innovation would mean to them through the building’s innovation as the instrument to incite a conversation. Our 3 concepts are informed on lenses of innovation, glancing ,inviting and viewing innovation critically as well as playfully. We use playful abstracted interactions that are inspired from the building’s innovation such as the mullions, the column less structures to view the building as an archetype of a rather complex question “What does innovation mean to you?”
Interactions_Narratives
Community Workshop_ Insights
Mullions_Time
The narrative of time is represented through mullions which we believe signals the shading that in itself is reflective of how the shading reflects the suns movement throughout the day transitioning with time.
Nostalgia
The narrative of nostalgic is represented by the different innovative objects that has or leave a mark on us.
Disruption
The narrative of disruption is portrayed through the buildings chaotic site location. Different sounds and voices emerge and these voices create disruption.
Growth
The story of growth is represented by how the King's Cross community has grown alongside the Google's new building. It also shows the community engagement involved in Google's new building.
Setting Up_Installation
Our Making Process
Wide eyed wonder
On Street Interaction_King's Boulevard
Featured_Online
CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS X GOOGLE INSTALLATIONS
Aligning with the London Festival of Architecture
This project has been developed in collaboration between the Camden community, Central Saint Martins MA Industrial Design and Google. It was an open to all event held at King's Cross from June 15 - 20, 2022.
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