COOL GANG

COOL GANG
KunSquare | Kunshan | China

The Cool Gang is a creative indoor space intervention designed to foster interactions among kids and adults in the enclosed area of a pedestrian bridge connecting 2 buildings. It creates an space of stasis catching the attention of passersby by providing of an unusual interaction with their movement through the space.

Cool Gang Official Video | 100A channel

The aim of the installation was to reactivate a sparsely used area with low pedestrian traffic, and not only try to drag the circulation through the bridge, but also turn the bridge itself into a space for entertainment and joy, offering an amusing experience to the passersby.

It was a challenge to create a spatial intervention interesting enough to call the attention of people, but at the same time, less invasive as possible within the available space to circulate, and allow the free circulation of pedestrians.

As a result, we focused the intervention on the plane of the ground, covering the bridge floor with an upper layer of interactive panels, encouraging the action of walking and stepping onto the bridge, encouraging the movement throughout the bridge.
The responsive interaction was quite simple, but yet eye-catching for kids and adults alike, who suddenly and unexpectedly found themselves immersed in a visual and sound experience, realizing that as they step onto the panels, these ones would light up producing a sync sound.

The composition of those interactive panels, custom engineered, was based on an LED light box equipped with capacitive sensors able to sense the steps of the people through the finishing layer of colored tempered glass.
The sum of squared panels would compose the new look of the bridge’s floor, a pixelated approach was taken in order to design an interesting graphic. 3 funny Emojis were chosen to complete the Cool Gang of Emojis.

After its completion, we are all happy to see how the new space truly calls the attention of many people from both ends of the bridge, successfully increasing the pedestrian flow in the area.

Project Credits

Project name: Cool Gang
Designer: 100architects
Design team: Marcial Jesus, Javier Gonzalez, Eunice Ma
Production: Hong Yang Advertising
Client: Life Hub @ Kunshan, (Chongbang Group)
Location: Kunshan, China
Built area: 300 m2
Completion: June 2017
Photographer: Amey Kandalgaonkar

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