Building Ecology Sculpture (NSF)
2025-2026David Franusich, Multimedia Designer
Braden Perryman, Parametric Designer, Digital Fabricator
Project goal:
Translate an NSF-funded interdisciplinary research project into an immersive, 1:1 data visualization that communicates science through design.
The underlying study—Building Ecology: Examining Space-Place Dynamics in a Shared Indoor Environment—mapped movement and interaction patterns on the first floor of the Creativity and Innovation District Living Learning Community using LiDAR sensors, revealing patterns of movement and dwelling.
The Data:
“Occupancy-seconds,” which translates to people’s movement through and inhabitation of the space
“Collisions,” which translates to the exact point coordinates where two or more people traveling from opposite directions stop within 6 feet of each other for 5 seconds or longer (presumably having a conversation or interaction).
These metrics are recorded as spatialized data points with cartesian coordinates (points with x and y values that correlate to real-world ‘units’ – e.g. feet, inches). This coordinate plane is synchronized with the actual dimensions of the CID building.
Artist Statement:
This is a challenging project due to how narrow the ‘envelope’ is for artistic interpretation within the broader project of faithful data visualization. The sculpture must represent the research data accurately, so that viewers can intuitively understand the relationship between the artwork and the data collected within the space. Additionally, the sculptural installation must adhere to strict building safety regulations, such as not impeding fire sprinklers, smoke detectors, or security camera view lines, along with not exceeding the weight capacity of the ceiling trusses. We are also required to match the hardware of the existing pipe-grid. Finally, within these restrictions, we must create a sculpture that is possible to fabricate within the limited budget we have and with the tools we already possess. Within this narrow design envelope, we have optimized the following surface to meet these parameters while delivering a flowing, elegant aesthetic experience, showing how human spatial and social behavior, in aggregate, is visually reminiscent of a river or a landscape.