
Common Senses_ the London Tongue
Team
Name: Zijing Gao
Nationality: United States
Institution / Company: Perkins and Will
-FINALIST of Street of Tomorrow Competition
Observing the shift in our everyday relationships with work and rest since the beginning of the pandemic, it became apparent that we desperately need new, inclusive solutions for how people can best inhabit cities moving forward. What if a successful day of living could mean one during which individuals are fully engaged via all their senses in a healthy, balanced rhythm of work, productivity, rest, play, exercise, solitude, and social interaction? What if the success and future hope of a city was noted by its ability to deliver this level of living to all its citizens?
It’s crucial to note the impact the pandemic has had on all aspects of our health, including the decline in human contact and touch-related stimuli and the heightened difficulties many people with physical limitations face. Keeping this in mind we seek to emphasize other sensations (taste, smell, audio and visual) within the individual’s experience of the city as it relates to their spheres of movement and the duration of their day. To achieve this type of holistic citizen engagement, we propose a series of sensory experiences integrated into London’s existing context while remaining a destination in and of itself. A multi-faceted conglomeration of city, park, museum and infrastructure, this architectural system will draw the population (resident and tourist) out into London, giving them reason to encounter each other, nature, London’s amenities, while providing them with an ever-changing collection of active and reactive components that accommodate both work and play. Common Senses formulates it’s entities and elements around the belief that the sensory experience should be flexible, responsive, and intentional in increasing the well-being and enjoyment of living for all users, regardless of demographic, economic status, or physical and mental ability.
#the COVID Shift #Senses #Engage #Smart Installation #Play With Your City