Aukio 2019, Finland, Helsinki
Immersive and interactive digital nature experience in the airport
Step into the healing experience of Finnish nature in the middle of the Helsinki airport. Aukio welcomes its visitors with an immersive and interactive experience where nature plays the leading role. It gives a calming, relaxing and yet inspiring and unforgettable human-scale experience for the visitors. It is their first or even only impression of Finland: state-of-the-art technology and an experience of Finnish nature.
All humans commonly share a sense of connectedness with nature – it affects us in conscious and unconscious ways. A need for creating holistic meaningful digital and spatial experiences in the built environment is recognised. We harnessed these elements and recreated the healing and dynamic experience of nature in a semi-public space. A human-scale sensation conducted using embedded technology and without commercial presence creates a powerful, immersive and memorable experience. Digital elements were used to imitate nature as it is; pure, magical and full of wonders. This unprecedented immersive experience is created with high quality 4x8K 360° videos intensified with spatial sound and interactive wooden walls. A 75-meters-long curved LED surface with multiple projections and lights create a wholesome nature experience welcoming passengers into Finland at Helsinki Airport. Aukio presents all four seasons of the Finnish year cycle with different day times: altogether 16 different landscapes. Passengers can experience the magical polar night with northern lights, the blooming nature of a spring dawn, bright summer days and colourful autumn evenings. When stepping into the plaza, the space reacts with nature-imitating audio-visual gestures. By touching birch-panelled walls, passengers have the opportunity to interact with the landscape by creating animations, for example, the Northern Lights and flying autumn leaves. It creates a profound connection to the surrounding landscape as well as magical moments for kids and playful minded. Visitors can also explore facts about different landscapes, phenomenons of nature and Finns and their relationship with nature. The design process's core was in the experience rather than technique: creating a meaningful experience over method. The main essence of each design phase included intensive co-creation with all stakeholders, including the client Finavia and the end-users. Aukio offers a new kind of passenger path for airports and creates a new kind of framework for Finavia's profitable business. Instead of infusing passengers in a sea of commerciality, it offers a moment of serenity in Finnish nature. Happier, relaxed and confident passengers radiate a sense of security and peacefulness and are more likely to consume airport services. Aukio attracts and serves passengers from longer distances to spend time in the area, businesses to meet their clients, and personnel to keep their micro-breaks immersed in nature. The multifunctional interior concept with versatile rigging points supports organising events in the area. This way, Finavia gets the full benefit of the site.
https://rbdesign.fi/en/referenssi/finavia-aukio/?doing_wp_cron=1616750912.5586860179901123046875
Details
Building or project owner : Finavia - Helsinki Airport
Architecture : PES-Architects
Project artist/ concept/ design/ planning : The installation is a collaborative effort by OiOi Collective with Granlund Oy, based on a concept by Davidsson Tarkela Architects and Rune & Berg Design Oy.
Structural engineering : Granlund, Studiotec
Facade design : Architects Davidsson Tarkela, Rune & Berg
Facade construction : Studiotec
Light design : Granlund
Technical layout light : Granlund, Studiotec
Display content/ visuals/ showreel : OiOi, Flatlight Creative
Light hardware (LED hardware) : Studiotec
Lighting control software : Christie Pandora’s Box & custom software
Project co-ordination : Granlund
Interaction design/ programming : OiOi
Descriptions
Facade type and geometry (structure) : Aukio is a 400m2 sized triangular shaped plaza with a wavy, experiential 75 m long LED surface surrounding it.
Kind of light creation : 75 m long curved LED surface consisting of 4 mm RGB LED cabinets. 10 WUXGA projectors. Theatrical lighting setup consists of moving heads and Fresnel LED-lighting fixtures attached to truss structure.
Resolution and transmitting behaviour : 19320x540 px LED + 10 * 1920x1200 px projector
Pixel distance : 4 mm
Urban situation : Aukio (plaza) is situated in the middle of the busy non-Schengen part of the Helsinki Airport. After a long flight the passengers venture through the security check process and arrive at the plaza, Aukio, to discover the magic of the forest. Aukio is a triangular shaped 2 stories high open space. One of the three sides of the Aukio is combined of a double-height diagonal birch-panelled wall with doors through which the passengers arrive from the security check. The two other sides of the Aukio are open to the busy corridors leading to the shops and departure gates.
Description of showreel : Aukio presents all four seasons of the Finnish year cycle with different day times: altogether 16 different landscapes. Passengers can experience the magical polar night with northern lights, the blooming nature of a spring dawn, bright summer days and colourful autumn evenings. When stepping into the plaza, the space reacts with nature-imitating audio-visual gestures. By touching birch-panelled walls, passengers have the opportunity to interact with the landscape by creating animations, for example, the Northern Lights and flying autumn leaves. It creates a profound connection to the surrounding landscape as well as magical moments for kids and playful minded. Visitors can also explore facts about different landscapes, phenomenons of nature and Finns and their relationship with nature.
Participatory architecture & urban interaction
Mediacredits
Finavia
Finavia
Flatlight Creative
Flatlight Creative
Finavia
Finavia
Rune & Berg
Flatlight Creative