Ora
Glowing and pulsating to the current energy consumption levels in the Old Yard, Ora is the heart of the Harvard College energy network.
MISSION - Design a site-specific interactive installation to dynamically engage the Harvard student body about their energy usage and aspirations for sustainability
TIMEFRAME - Fall 2015 ongoing
CLIENT - Harvard University Freshman Dean’s Office & Office for Sustainability
MY ROLES - Ideation, visual communication, concept rendering, and project management
Ora is INVIVIA’s winning entry to a call for an installation for sustainability on the Harvard campus.
This large concrete sphere is embedded with thousands of fiber optic threads that transport responsive light from the installation's core to its polished surface. Minimally powered by renewable energy, the sphere gathers real-time data on energy consumption levels of the Harvard College freshmen and reinterprets the data as pulsating lights patterns and gentle vibrations induced on the surface.
Several early design concepts for the interior construction of Ora. Image courtesy of INVIVIA.
The installation serves as a part of a larger research project that investigates how freshmen’s awareness of sustainable habits can be developed and strengthened. Students can sign up with the project to contribute data on their daily sustainable habits, and as the data compiles in real time, Ora pulsates with moving lights and gentle vibrations in response. Spectators at the site can also reach out and touch its surface, triggering a response from the sphere and pushing a message to participants of the project to remind them what they can do to better conserve our limited resources.
Interface designs mock-ups for companion app to track and report energy usage. Image courtesy of INVIVIA.
Connectivity diagram showing how the sculpture in the Old Yard engages with the freshmen dormitories of Harvard College. Image courtesy of INVIVIA.
The presence of a gently humming sphere in the heart of Harvard’s Old Yard serves as a constant reminder that sustainability begins with simple gestures that need to be nurtured into the way we live with our world.
Still from render video showing finished Ora sculpture installed in the Old Yard, glowing and humming gently to the energy consumption levels on campus.