Floating Forms that Engage the Senses

In a 150-meter-long shopping street in Japan, we deployed approximately 130 balloons in an experiment designed to appeal to the sensibilities of people in the urban core.

To ensure accessibility and safety, such as maintaining evacuation route widths and allowing easy passage for strollers and delivery carts, the balloons were spaced at least two meters apart, and their placement was determined through automated plotting. By using computer simulations to model pedestrian flow, we adopted the arrangement that best facilitated crowd dispersion.

This innovative approach to design, which is detailed in the accompanying video, strives to integrate seamlessly with the surrounding environment while reducing the arbitrariness of the designers. Instead of dictating every detail, the setup allows autonomous planning elements, thereby creating a public space that evolves according to the sensibilities and individual behavior patterns of its users.