The Helix
In collaboration with Pedro Veloso, Rehan Butt
In this project we were supposed to study a problematic space of our own choice and then propose a compelling intervention in that space based on evidences and spatial analysis techniques. Since the time was limited, we narrowed the scope of our observations to produce meaningful data.
What is the problem?
The helix is the central part of school of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University. The are series of ramps connecting the third to fifth floor. The school of computer science itself is circulation many people from different places to multiple destinations. Although this place is located at the very central part it is not being uses frequently. The very long ramp without any special function cannot stimulate students to use this area and most of them use stairs or elevators instead. As a result this huge area is lost and empty and there is a need to be reconsidered as a great potential of circulation and social behavior at Carnegie Mellon University.
What can we do?
The suggested solution is to bring flow to the space. Using WiFi information which shows how many people are connected to the university network and where are they can be used as a source to create map on the wall. This can give people information about what places on the campus are the most crowded or any special event is going on somewhere on the campus. In order to model a sample of the map we simulate agents using Grasshopper to show a sample behavior which can happen based on the location of buildings in a normal day on the campus.
