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SHAPES

improve the perceived sense of safety
Calgary 9 Block Project and vibrancy in the area. Under the
supervision of Professor Mauricio
Calgary, Canada Soto-Rubio and robotics specialist Guy
Gardner, a team of students designed and
built a 70-feet long lightweight wooden
or years, officials in Calgary, research satellite for the University canopy equipped with fully interactive 3D
Canada have been concerned with of Calgary’s School of Architecture, printed lighting fixtures. The project has
Fimproving the perceived sense of Planning, and Landscape (SAPL). drastically and comprehensively changed
safety and vibrancy in the city’s downtown Despite its urban significance, the city’s how the area between the City Hall and
core. At its centre, the area includes downtown area is not without challenges the City Building Design Lab is perceived,
Calgary’s City Hall and Municipal frequently seen in urban areas and providing it with a safer, more dignified,
Building, the American Consulate, sometimes perceived as unsafe, especially and vibrant character.
Olympic Plaza, Arts Commons, and at night. In 2020, the City of Calgary The design approach is based on the
the Glenbow Museum, as well as other partnered with the architecture school premise that making public spaces more
significant landmarks including the City to develop a temporary, experimental inclusive and welcoming can actually
Building Design Lab, a collaborative installation specifically tailored to improve social behaviour. In sharp
contrast, previous interventions in the
area included protecting the buildings
with fences, anti-people spikes, security
cameras, and other defensive urban
architecture mechanisms. The canopy
defines and activates the space beneath it
and provides an extra degree of weather
protection along the façade of the
architecture school. New fixtures improve
the level of lighting in the area at night
and give it a unique and vibrant character.
These colourful, fully interactive, 3D
printed, LED lights are fitted with sensors
that playfully respond to pedestrians
walking underneath. The lamps vary in
size from approximately 16 inches to 40
inches in diameter and were developed
by means of an algorithmic script that
controlled their dimensions, number of
LEDs, individual geometry, and formal
relation with the rest of the structure.
The pieces were 3D printed by students
using PLA plastic: a biodegradable,

54 Issue 238 • dw