OVERVIEW
Common Ground is an interactive installation built to inspire new forms of pedestrian interaction on San Francisco’s Market Street.
COLLABORATORS
Derek Ouyang, Brian Carilli, Adam Genecov, Rebecca Diaz Atienza, Victoria Flores
ROLE
Concept ideation & refinement, form & material studies, photorealistic rendering, participatory design sessions with community, prototyping, fabrication & assembly
concept
Common Ground sets the stage for serendipity and chance encounters.
We observed that pedestrians are in either one of two states: in motion or stationary. Using these two modalities, we created a game that encourages participation and coordination between people in both states.
Planters staggered at different heights are flanked by a seating structure on one side and a pavement surface on the other, all linked via wired controls on a grid system. Once a pavement surface and seating surface are occupied at the same time, hidden water features come to life, shooting up jets of water from the planters to the delight of participants and passersby.
Form & Material Studies
We explored variations on simple geometric forms, as well as combinations of different materials and colors, from a flat fountain/planter bed with neutral colors to a brightly colored ‘playground’ version. In the end, after taking into account feedback from the community, budget, logistics, and timeline constraints, we chose to go with a stepped planter design with reclaimed redwood siding.
proposal
To serve as a gateway between Market Street and the waterfront and catch the stream of pedestrians commuting to and from the Ferry Building, we proposed to install Common Ground outside the Hyatt Regency in the Embarcadero district.
prototyping & construction
To prototype the interactions between seating, pavement, and planter, we put fountain nozzles in buckets, set up the pavement tiles and controls and hooked everything up for testing. The structure for the seating and planter were assembled separately. We combined structure and controls for a trial run to make sure everything was working properly before transporting pieces to our installation site in SF.
sf market street prototyping festival 2015
Common Ground made its first debut at the 2015 Market Street Prototyping Festival and was a huge success. A catalyst for unexpected interactions and moments of delight, Common Ground elicited smiles and laughter from kids and adults alike.
sf market street
prototyping festival 2016-2017
Common Ground was 1 of 10 installations selected for further incubation and long-term exhibition on Market Street. We teamed up with Philz Coffee to integrate the Common Ground installation with their existing outdoor seating area next to the Hyatt. Based on the same concept, the updated design introduces social nooks for Philz patrons and the public to sit, pause, and engage with one another in moments of play.
