Plan A: Plant Planet
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Team-mates
Jumleena Bhagawati, Charlie Hou, Devin Wang
Date
20/04/23 - 27/04/23
Welcome to week 4 of our Project Plan A: Plant planet
In this last blog post on Micro UX, I have presented our documentation of our second phase of prototyping, based on previous feedback analysis. In this blog, we show the start of the third phase of our prototyping progress where we derive inspiration from one of our previous week's concepts, Concept 4: Dystopian future.
This week marks the design of the initial version of our future artefact which would exist in an imagined dystopian future where human life cannot function without plants. We go through an intense phase of worldbuilding to try and create a scenario by developing a predictable future timeline. The feedback received on the prototypes and our reflection on the week's work are elaborated at the end of the post.
- Planning and discussion -
Recap for the previous concept:
In our recent discussions, we explored a future narrative depicting a challenging scenario where individuals seek refuge in bio dorms sustained by plants amidst severe climate deterioration. Within this dystopian backdrop, our speculative design envisions a unique habitat where plants cater to every human need, albeit with the external environment posing significant challenges for survival. Through this conceptualization, we aimed to amplify the intricate relationship between plant and human life, deliberately provoking strong reactions and thoughtful reflections from our audience.
We observed that this concept was well received based on the feedback and as such we decided to build on it.
Evidence supporting this concept
1. Climate Degradation and Environmental Challenges:
Worsening climate change, extreme weather events, and rising global temperatures have made large parts of the Earth uninhabitable or unsuitable for traditional housing due to frequent heatwaves, droughts, and natural disasters.
Pollution and resource depletion have made the air, water, and soil outside increasingly toxic, threatening human health.
.2. Bio Dorm Concept: In response to these challenges, visionary architects and scientists have developed the concept of bio dorms, sustainable living spaces designed to mimic natural ecosystems. These bio dorms integrate advanced biotechnology and sustainable building materials to create self-contained, green environments that support human life.
The prototype:
Our idea is that we design a speculative version of the bio dorm where the plant is in absolute controll over everything:
Controlled Environment: Within bio dorms, carefully selected and genetically modified plant species play a vital role in regulating the indoor climate. Plants act as natural air purifiers, CO2 scrubbers, and temperature regulators.
Oxygen Production: Evidence of plant control is seen in the abundant oxygen production within these spaces, ensuring a continuous supply of fresh air.
Nutrient Recycling: Plants help recycle and purify water and nutrients within the bio dorms, creating a closed-loop system that minimizes waste.
Temperature and Humidity Regulation: Advanced monitoring and plant-based systems maintain a comfortable and consistent temperature and humidity level.
Biodiversity: The bio dorms are home to a diverse range of plant species, creating a more pleasant and visually appealing living environment.
However, we realized that such a prototype has some limitations while trying to actualize it. One major factor would be the construction of a human-sized bio dorm that is comfortably experienceable.
Changing of approach
Taking into consideration the above limitation we decided to change our approach and envision newer ways through which we could relay the message of plant and human relationship. Through this approach, we delved into the process of world building and developing smaller diegetic protypes that exist in the world that we envisioned. We decided to convey our message through the means of storytelling.
- World building -
Worldbuilding 1:
We explored the greentocracy scenario developed by ARUP as one of the 4 plausible scenarios of 2050. GREENTOCRACY describes an improvement in planetary health which has been enabled by severe restrictions on human society: restrictive living conditions, conflict and authoritarian regimes prevail. The accompanying story details the everyday compromises made by Moussa as he heads to work in eastern Senegal.
Society in such a scenario:
Timeline for this scenario:
World building 2:
Based on evidence from a research paper we a second worldbuilding in which humanity in an attempt to colonize Mars have to find novel ways through plants to survive there.
Scenario:
Evidence of the scenario:
- Concepts -
Based on our world building we designed and iterated 3 speculative design concepts.
An interactive installation which will hold plants inside it.
2. A portable plant-carrying case
3. Wearable suit with plant inside to help people breathe
- Feedback -
The feedback session on our prototypes provided invaluable insights, guiding our design process to greater clarity. Participants noted a perceived disconnection among the three prototype concepts, highlighting the need for stronger thematic cohesion. Emphasizing the importance of worldbuilding, the feedback encouraged a more explicit connection between the diegetic prototypes and the envisioned scenario. Acknowledging the initial concepts' metaphorical nature, the wearable suit concept stood out as a promising avenue for effectively conveying our message on enhancing human-plant relationships. This feedback prompts a focused refinement, ensuring a cohesive narrative and a more impactful realization of our design objectives.
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