the waterfall
Research and experience design
The purpose
A large-scale curtain installed on one of the facades of the Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Estado de México, intervening in the building. A natural element is taken as a reference, the waterfall, where water is reinterpreted in a metaphorical way using hanging metal chains.
The intention of the design is to create a memorable experience, based on the sensation of going through the installation and transforming the experience of living that space. It works as a filter that plays with the perception of architecture and its users.
Tec
2022
Research, definition, design, layout, rendering, 3D modeling and generation of blueprints
Ps, Ai, Rhino, Visualizer
The process
The generating idea of the project is surrealist architecture, or the dreamlike journey, around the space that is inhabited and how it transforms the way of perceiving reality.
The main objective is the generation of an installation that transforms the action of moving through a new ephemeral reality.
Within the semiotics that we use to create our project, we focus on the user in a hero's journey. A call to adventure, the waterfall, takes the hero out of his ordinary life and returns him a different person. In this way we can break the monotony of moving from one place to another. This is achieved through a sensory journey that generates surprise and pleasure through feelings of familiarity with each interaction.
To select the space, we identified two paths that lead to the same place but one is much more used than the other. The pros of the most used space are that it reduces seconds over the course, it has more nature, it has a defined path, it has more shade and it is longer. The cons of this place are that there are a lot of people, there can be mud, it is often watered, people can feel watched and it is an unstable path. On the other hand, the pros of the place we selected were that it does not get wet, it is a path to two destinations, it has few people and it is wider. The cons of this space are that it is not as direct to the important classrooms, the walls don't match, there is less nature and it feels enclosed.
After doing interviews and surveys, we were able to notice that:
1. The open route is more pleasant because there is greater contact with nature and it is a course that allows you to appreciate several things
2. When groups are large, a space with a balcony is preferred because it can accommodate more people and it is more pleasant to spend everyone together
3. Being outdoors prevents the open route from being used when it rains or the grass is watered
4. If someone doesn't like being watched while walking, they are more likely to use the balcony space since there is less interaction with others
5. The building can be transformed by means of a curtain that simulates a waterfall that, both from the outside and the inside, generates different sensations similar to those experienced when being in a natural environment contemplating and going through a waterfall.
With this type of information, we were able to advance our design process to provide a suitable solution for users.
The design
The design has several semiotic elements such as:
The look: From the outside, it encourages the user to enter the installation.
The action: The waterfall encourages the user to enter and activate through touch.
The Waterfall is installed on the three different levels of the building, allowing it to generate the same sensation as seeing a real waterfall. In order to generate the desired effect, we generate different shapes at different levels of the installation, having more chains and saturation at the top, reaching the bottom with less volume.
The visual sensation encourages the person to cross and thanks to the use of metal beads, we can return to the coldness of the water that can refresh the user in various sensations.
The impact
The impact that an installation of this magnitude can have not only increases the use of space, but also allows you to get away from the ordinary routine.
Promoting this type of spaces in places of study and high levels of stress provides calm and stability for those who dare to enter the adventure or only those who decide to perceive the beauty from the outside.
