UNSW Built Environment has recently teamed up with AHL LED Shenzhen, the Städelschule Architecture Class (SAC, Frankfurt), Media Architecture Institute (Vienna/Sydney), Ludwig Maximillian University (Munich) to create the experimental and architectural design odyssey, Orkhestra.

UNSW Built Environment Senior Lecturer, Dr Hank Hauesler, was one of the designers of the installation featured at the 2014 Luminale in Frankfurt, as part of his on-going research here at UNSW. 

Subtitled ‘Orchestrating the Depth of Light’, the installation brings together a playful interaction of state-of-the-art design expertise and media and interaction technology. Installed at the central Rossmarkt in Frankfurt, Orkhēstra is a glowing celebration of its location, the future of light technology in architecture and the relationship between human curiosity and material forms.

Orkhēstra pushes the boundaries of what embedded media technology in architecture is. The installation forms an intersection of the historical axes on Rossmarkt and the contemporary commercial urban context. It uses media technology to animate the complex depth of the architectural surfaces while inviting passers-by and visitors to engage with the installation’s interactive lighting system, which is triggered by camera flashlights.