Jewon Kim

In recent times there has been an increased focus on our changing environment. While some of this thinking is reflected in architecture, primarily the focus continues to be on aesthetics and saving of energy. What if in addition to these, architectural surfaces opened up innovative opportunities for richer two-way dialogue between humans and their built environment? What-if architectural surfaces brought ambient environmental conditions to our attention intuitively?

EIAS is a first step on this journey.

In its current form, it is a barometer of air quality. However this information is designed to be delivered by architectural surfaces, in a non-intrusive, dynamic and playful manner. EIAS achieves this through ever changing dots that correlate with the degree of particulate matter in the immediate atmosphere. The vision is to create a living reminder of often-invisible environmental factors that affect us, while employing spaces and structures that make up our lives. One such space might be bus stops, providing people an ambient awareness of air quality as they travel around a city.

I believe that our built environment should hold up a mirror to our invisible yet significant impact on nature, and encourage citizens to have a continuous, meaningful dialogue on this symbiotic relationship.