Petal Presence was the outcome of a month-long project for Weiland Park, a neighborhood north of downtown Columbus, Ohio that is encompassed by the boundaries of the University District. Weiland Park had a development boom in the 1930s and 1940s that resulted from new streetcar lines and factories bringing in working middle-class families. Since then, the neighborhood has evolved from experiencing suburbanization, the rise of gangs, diversification, and gentrification, which all lead to a social disconnection within the neighborhood.
Therefore, a design opportunity has existed in Weiland Park for quite some time. We were put into groups to come up with specific design concepts that would foster quality of life and social connectiveness in Weiland. We would do so by creating a playful experience that utilizes the idea of a "Nudge" developed by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein.
Working with classmates Chuck Backus and Zoe Shay-Tannas to complete this project, we started by exploring Weiland. We characterized the neighborhood by using Christopher Day's 4-layer methodology. Day is a brilliant architect and author who developed a strategy for finding the spirit of a place. You start by objectively examining the physical substance, next move onto everything time and life related, then focus on the moods and the feelings the place induces in us, and finally conclude what the individuality and spirit of the place is.
In focusing on a smaller area within the neighborhood we ended up choosing the area surrounding the vacant purple building on the corner of Indianola Avenue and East 6th Avenue. We understood the area to be quite mysterious, and uncared for, while containing a lot of potential.
Location
Location Details
More Notes and Measurements
Then, to support the place characterization we did, we developed 4 concepts around 4 types of play and the nudge theory.
Auditory Concept
Cognitive Concept
Adaptation Concept
Escape Concept
Based on the feedback we received, and after reflecting on our development, we realized we had misunderstood our location. We were focusing too deeply on the purple building itself and not the surrounding area, which contaminated the spirit we felt. It was time to go back multiple times, and different times of the day, interact with neighbors and those passing by, and get the spirit right before moving forward.
Takeaways from an interview with a woman who has living in the neighborhood since the 1980s
We quickly realized that the spirit of this area is that it is a transit place where people rarely stop. It is a place that people walk past to get from one place to another, not to interact with one another or anything in particular. It is a place that has been misunderstood and neglected for decades on end.
A place that people have asked the city to pay some attention to for a long period of time.
A place where one woman "has dreamed of seeing trees and greenery flourish."
A place that two men "walk past every day on their way to work."
A place that lacks much light and safety efforts at night.
With this information and more we began to think... What could we do that would make people enjoy their journey from one place to the next? How could we light up the area at night while fostering social connectiveness and nudging people to choose to walk this path?
We questioned if it should look something like an arch, promenade, entryway, or interactive path?
Early Ideas
Then, we thought up an idea of utilizing plants and light for our concept. We quickly realized it would make more sense to have plant structures instead of real plants because this was not an area that people tend to or take the time to stop in.
Plant/Light Ideas
We felt that the idea of having human-sized flowers that light up as someone walks by would be a great way for people to feel connected to the space. In addition, we could connect one person to the next by coding the light to fade over time and leave the illumining signal that someone was just there.
Flower Thumbnails
We then found some inspiration for our petals shapes and color and got to work on prototyping.
We found it would be best to heat treat plastic and PVC to make this appearance model. We laser cut petal shapes from acrylic sheets and formed them with a heat gun. Then, we spray painted them to test color finishing.
When we landed on the shape and gradient we were looking for, we brought our bigger plastic sheets to a shop bot and cut them one by one. We had to be very strategic in each item we heated, to make sure the bending looked intentional and not overdone.
Our next battle was figuring out how we wanted to attach the petals to the heat treated and bent PVC pipe. We first made a base to stabilize the 5ft tall pipe, and then pondered different ways to attach the petals. We tried heat forming, riveting, hot gluing and much more. We eventually chose to expand the opening in the 1.25-inch pipe and form the petals inside. We would epoxy resin them together and fit them in the stem. We then sanded items down to keep them smooth and ready for paint.
Once we had the items painted and ready, we put them together to finish the appearance model.
Appearance model visual
After evaluating our model, there was still work to be done! We only needed to model one flower for our presentation, but if we had more funds, time and resources, there would be multiple flowers lining the sidewalk that leads up to the actual playground of Weinland Park. So, we visualized multiple flowers at varying heights of 5'6 and 3'6 arranged along the promenade like walkway.
Flowers at night
Flowers during the day
In addition, the connection between the stem and the petals was not as seamless as we had hoped for, so we needed to 3D model a piece that would work well with the piece.
Connecting Piece
In addition, we needed to come up with a plan for getting the light to actually work, which would require coding. So, we utilized Chuck's CSE background to work with the CSE department and come up with lines of code that would allow the solar powered light to be motion activated and then fade over a period of 5 minutes after it has been turned on. The lights remaining on and fading out after someone walks by would provide a sense that someone was just there for the people approaching in the distance. It will allow for the playful separation from everyday experience, make the people walking feel less lonely, and therefore feel more connected to the people of Weinland and the neighborhood.
Code for the light
Since we did not have the money to purchase the materials needed for the actual light and code, we ended up animating what would happen in KeyShot. The animation depicts a person walking past one of the flowers and the motion sensors being activitade, causing it to light up. The light illuminates that area and then fades out over time after the person passes.
In reflecting on this project, I truly enjoyed designing for public space and utilizing Nudge to create playfulness and foster social connection in Weiland Park. I think that our ability to recognize the spirit of the area being a transit place that people normally disregard was very valuable. Incorporating nudge, playfulness, and social connection in a transit area was definitely a challenge, but we made it work. Our Petal Presence concept nudges people to enjoy their journey and walk on that side of the road. It promotes a sense of play, which is the escape from everyday experience, by utilizing motion censored, solar powered lights. People will feel more connected to the neighborhood of Weiland by having flowers that beautify the area and make it feel cared for. More importantly, people will feel connected to one another because the lights create a sense that someone was just there, that they are taking the same path, and that they are not alone on their journey.
If we were to do this project over again, I would have been more patient in the beginning, so that we could uncover the spirit of the space in a timelier manner. In addition, I would have tried out other prototyping methods like using the CNC machine, and 3D printing, so that the appearance model would have better craft. On the other hand, however, I am very proud of all the materials and machinery I learned to work with during the month.
Overall, this project was an insightful challenge that thoroughly made me enjoy designing for public spaces. I will take the lessons I learned from the process, and the readings with me in my design future.