urban design

Selected as one of 2023’s four Miller Prize recipients for the annual theme “Public by Design,” PAU was given the additional prompt of “Civic Infrastructure” to renew public interest and engagement with Columbus Indiana’s downtown. The intervention, titled InterOculus, is sited at the intersection of Washington and Fourth Streets. PAU’s design recasts everyday infrastructure, in this case, streetlight poles, to create a civic armature, creating a cultural crossroads at the heart of Downtown Columbus.

Selected as one of 2023’s four Miller Prize recipients for the annual theme “Public by Design,” PAU was given the additional prompt of “Civic Infrastructure” to renew public interest and engagement with Columbus Indiana’s downtown. The intervention, titled InterOculus, is sited at the intersection of Washington and Fourth Streets. PAU’s design recasts everyday infrastructure, in this case, streetlight poles, to create a civic armature, creating a cultural crossroads at the heart of Downtown Columbus.

This project is a temporary pavilion to enhance informal social interactions among students at Keio University’s Hiyoshi Campus (Yokohama, Japan). The pandemic proved the importance of face-to-face interaction. Its radical decrease over three years (from April 2019 until April 2022) negatively affected the students’ motivation, academic performance, and mental health. As in-person classes resumed in April 2022, we initiated a series of projects to provide additional spaces outside the classroom and verify their benefits to students. This project represents the initial step in this initiative.

This project is a temporary pavilion to enhance informal social interactions among students at Keio University’s Hiyoshi Campus (Yokohama, Japan). The pandemic proved the importance of face-to-face interaction. Its radical decrease over three years (from April 2019 until April 2022) negatively affected the students’ motivation, academic performance, and mental health. As in-person classes resumed in April 2022, we initiated a series of projects to provide additional spaces outside the classroom and verify their benefits to students. This project represents the initial step in this initiative.

Still remember the last time yourself on a swing? When I swung on this swing for the first time, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Not sure if it was joy or fear, perhaps both.