Input Data

Architecture is known for its intensive work programme, and with Bute building being the home of the Welsh School of Architecture, we were intrigued to monitor and visually demonstrate the number of people entering and exiting the building on a 24-hour basis. When researching about the capacity of the building and discussing our concept with the building’s staff members, we discovered that everyday there is a potential for 800 people to circulate in and out of Bute Building; 100 Staff, 200 Public Library users and 500 Undergraduates. However, they were unsure on the building’s more active and inactive periods and were also intrigued to find out. Through placing a motion sensor at Bute’s entrance, the movement of people in and out of the building could be recorded and displayed physically through the creation of a responsive module. This module would be positioned in the forgotten space behind and between the columns located near Bute’s entrance. The dynamic mass revitalises the immobile space when an interaction between people and sensor occurs. Our reactive design will therefore indicate the level of activity occurring on the ground floor; however, a responsive module could eventually be created for each floor of Bute, suggesting the capacity of the individual levels throughout the day. Users will be aware of the activity level on each floor before entering, which could influence their movement around Bute.