Reconnecting with nature
Alive Body
Alive Body, an organic approach to urban space
Based on the physiological functions of our organs (respiration, neuronal interaction, body temperature regulation and the circadian cycle), this project aims to transform the future Grand Paris Express metro into an organic environment. Through four objects designed for future metro stations, this project proposes an urban space in synergy with the body.
France
Regional
Île-de-France
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Early concept
No
No
As an individual
Through four proposals for the future metro stations of the Grand Paris Express, the Alive Body project proposes a new urban design paradigm centred on the body and its needs. Based on the physiological functions of our organs, this project transforms the metro space into an organic environment that is in continuity with the bodies that pass through it and takes care of its users.
The first proposal is an evolving lighting system that reproduces the same wavelengths as the sun, thus respecting the hormonal cycle of the human body.
The second hypothesis is an olfactory path that spreads out along the corridors of the metro and that people can choose to follow. Diffusers built into the floor emit a scent reminiscent of a natural landscape. The fragrance is based on the molecule linalool, which is found in many flowers and has been shown to help us cope with anxiety.
The third track is a breathing bench. Placed on the platforms of metro stations, it purifies the air thanks to the ionisation air filter inside. The air in metro stations is the most polluted in the city due to the braking of trains, which emits fine particles. This project therefore puts the issue of air quality at the heart of the platform, making it the air filter around which passengers will gather.
The fourth proposal is a geothermal garden on the forecourts of metro stations.
It's a place to take a break after the intensity of the journey. Benches heated or cooled by a geothermal system will help the body maintain a stable temperature and prolong the break.
The project is based on a study of the body's chemical interactions with its environment, in order to propose uses that act directly on our biological machine, transforming the violent, efficient environment of the metro into a gentler, more diplomatic territory.
The first proposal is an evolving lighting system that reproduces the same wavelengths as the sun, thus respecting the hormonal cycle of the human body.
The second hypothesis is an olfactory path that spreads out along the corridors of the metro and that people can choose to follow. Diffusers built into the floor emit a scent reminiscent of a natural landscape. The fragrance is based on the molecule linalool, which is found in many flowers and has been shown to help us cope with anxiety.
The third track is a breathing bench. Placed on the platforms of metro stations, it purifies the air thanks to the ionisation air filter inside. The air in metro stations is the most polluted in the city due to the braking of trains, which emits fine particles. This project therefore puts the issue of air quality at the heart of the platform, making it the air filter around which passengers will gather.
The fourth proposal is a geothermal garden on the forecourts of metro stations.
It's a place to take a break after the intensity of the journey. Benches heated or cooled by a geothermal system will help the body maintain a stable temperature and prolong the break.
The project is based on a study of the body's chemical interactions with its environment, in order to propose uses that act directly on our biological machine, transforming the violent, efficient environment of the metro into a gentler, more diplomatic territory.
Physiology
Organic design
Transports
City
Research
Our urban environment is changing. Temperature, population density and the amount of fine particles in the air are all increasing considerably. These increases all represent physiological stress factors for the body. I believe that one of the roles of design is to adapt our environment so that the human body is always welcomed. By considering the design approach as a form of alternative medicine, I propose ways of connecting urban space to our biological machines. Imagining the city as an extension of the living world. It's a proposal that seeks to profoundly change the paradigm for designing the built world.
The space of the metro is a gigantic network stretched between the people who move around it, who interact with it. In her book Habiter en Oiseau, author Vinciane Despret observes the way in which birds live together. By singing, birds define a temporary private space. When they fly away, they make this space free again for other birds. I think we work the same way in the metro; we stand at a rail, sit down, immerse ourselves in a book and define a private bubble around us. But it's hard to enforce this temporary territory, you have to endure the violent rhythm of the corridors and the train. Perhaps by imagining a space that respects our bodies, we could also show more diplomacy and respect in our exchanges.
So, by imagining objects that are intermediaries between organic and constructed forms, I am proposing spaces that welcome the body in all its complexity.
Using anatomy as a formal reference, these objects evoke the shapes that every human being shares, the shapes that compose them internally.
So, by imagining objects that are intermediaries between organic and constructed forms, I am proposing spaces that welcome the body in all its complexity.
Using anatomy as a formal reference, these objects evoke the shapes that every human being shares, the shapes that compose them internally.
Starting from a study of the body as a biological machine, this project aims to be adapted to all humans. By reflecting on urban space, the desired result is a proposal for humans, all those who walk in the street.
This project adapts to the existing project for the future Paris metro. It calls for a different approach to the design of urban space, with a greater emphasis on well-being, gentleness and respect.
This project adapts to the existing project for the future Paris metro. It calls for a different approach to the design of urban space, with a greater emphasis on well-being, gentleness and respect.
Living in Paris, it's not difficult to meet a public transport user. In general, we all have an experience to share on this subject. However, rather than starting from emotional considerations on this subject, this project is based on concrete observations of the body and its chemical interactions, studied through scientific research.
Taking the form of a research project over a period of 6 months and with limited resources, the hypotheses proposed in this work have not yet been able to meet with any users.
Taking the form of a research project over a period of 6 months and with limited resources, the hypotheses proposed in this work have not yet been able to meet with any users.
During the project, I had the opportunity to attend a presentation by Patrick Jouin, the designer who came up with the furniture for the future stations of the Grand Paris. This meeting gave me a better idea of the technical issues involved in the project.
I also worked with Nina Cirendini, who works in the perfume industry, to develop the olfactory landscape for my project. This collaboration gave me a deep understanding of the sense of smell, making my work a multi-sensory proposition.
The designer Jules Coffineau, a great knowledge of landscaping, was also an important partner, helping me to select the right plants for the metro garden.
The guidance provided by designer Benjamin Graindorge was also an essential resource in assessing the appropriateness of my ideas.
This selection of professionals, which deliberately excluded contacts within the RATP in order to retain a great deal of freedom in this initial phase of the project, enabled me to weave together a form of fundamental research with theoretical and material depth.
I also worked with Nina Cirendini, who works in the perfume industry, to develop the olfactory landscape for my project. This collaboration gave me a deep understanding of the sense of smell, making my work a multi-sensory proposition.
The designer Jules Coffineau, a great knowledge of landscaping, was also an important partner, helping me to select the right plants for the metro garden.
The guidance provided by designer Benjamin Graindorge was also an essential resource in assessing the appropriateness of my ideas.
This selection of professionals, which deliberately excluded contacts within the RATP in order to retain a great deal of freedom in this initial phase of the project, enabled me to weave together a form of fundamental research with theoretical and material depth.
During this project, by acting myself as the platform for exchange between science, design, architecture, landscape and even computer programming, I gave form to an organic assembly of practices that give shape to a multi-sensory and global project. A project that weaves together fields that are each far removed from the others, to form a coherent and fair entity, which I believe is one of the major tools of design.
The innovative nature of this project lies in the preliminary research that led to the emergence of a number of hypotheses. Starting with a biological study of our interactions with the environment, the functions proposed later in the project are placed at a chemical level. The aim of this method is to act beneficially on our bodies on a microscopic scale, before physiological manifestations, to bring about calm and respectful social situations. I'm convinced that proposing a caring approach can then lead to more respectful behaviour. In the same way as in our social relations, when we show kindness, we cannot be sure of receiving kindness in return, we can only hope for it.
This project is based on research into our physiological interactions with the environment. From the study of breathing, neural transmission, thermoregulation and circadian rhythm, I have deduced the uses necessary to make the metro a more body-friendly space.
These physiological starting points are combined with the usual uses of the metro. The forecourt becomes a garden where you can regain a stable body temperature during a break. The lighting system becomes an interior sun, an artificial reproduction of natural light to respect the body's circadian rhythm. The corridor becomes a space where you can experience a relaxing scent. And finally, the seats on the platform become bubbles of pure air, eliminating particles that could cause respiratory problems over the long term.
These physiological starting points are combined with the usual uses of the metro. The forecourt becomes a garden where you can regain a stable body temperature during a break. The lighting system becomes an interior sun, an artificial reproduction of natural light to respect the body's circadian rhythm. The corridor becomes a space where you can experience a relaxing scent. And finally, the seats on the platform become bubbles of pure air, eliminating particles that could cause respiratory problems over the long term.
Every proposal in this project can be adapted to other metros. The issues addressed are shared by everyone living in the world's major cities.
But I think it is above all the design paradigm proposed in this project that could be adapted to all urban design issues.
But I think it is above all the design paradigm proposed in this project that could be adapted to all urban design issues.
Starting from the localised context of the Paris metro, this project proposes a design method for adapting the sometimes violent urban space to the human body.
The next step will be to compare the project with the Société du Grand Paris or other city-wide professionals, to envisage future development and testing of each hypothesis in metro stations.
