Sustainability Hub Upgrade 

Challenge

If Carl Elefante is right in his assessment that “the greenest building is the one that already exists”, then it stands to reason that the greenest anything is the version of that thing that already exists. With this mindset, the Office of Sustainability at the University of Cincinnati began questioning the wastefulness of regularly producing paper posters for announcements. Securing a designated posting space on campus did not markedly reduce the office’s output of prints and the lackluster bulletin board fell short of the aspirations for the central communications hub.

Response

Digital signage was a quickly identified as a solution to cut down on paper waste. Revamping the existing location and repurposing unused AV equipment from another project on campus promotes productive reuse. In contrast to typical attention-grabbing expanses of digital displays, incorporation of E Ink’s color-changing electronic ink technology generates eye-catching intrigue at an exceptionally low rate of power consumption. The laser-cut contours of the dynamic material exhibit simplified organic curves to evoke the natural world. Placement of the interlocking shapes resembles the undulation of biological growth cycles. The uniquely physical change in color expressed by the panels mimics elements of nature in a way that traditional light-based technology cannot accomplish. Custom animations activate the wall with representations of patterns seen in nature: dappled sunlight on a forest floor, the color-changing chromatophores of creatures like the chameleon, ripples originating from a disturbance in a pool of water, waves ebbing and flowing at the shores edge.

Agency

University of Cincinnati

Client

UC Sustainability

Role

Lead Environmental Graphic Designer

Team

Lucy Cossentino - Art Director