As a member of the MIT team for the H22 Design Festival sponsored by IKEA in Helsingborg, we were tasked with creating 3 structures to be assembled on that would encourage awareness of surroundings to visitors who interact with it. Each structure was to be no larger than 10' by 10'. As a team of 6 students who were involved in the design, we worked on the structures in pairs.

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My partner and I designed a structure around the idea of a "lookout". There is never a time when I have seen a group of people more aware of their surroundings than at lookout points, especially those that require us to climb and gain elevation in order to reach. Our simple design strives to emphasize the emotions and awareness of surroundings that people typically experience when standing at a high elevation and looking out below. We designed a central set of stairs that end at a platform with a handrail. There are structural "branches" included along the sides as one ascends to imitate trees, which would give the feeling of being immersed in a forest and arriving at a lookout point. 

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As our team represented our school, MIT, we wanted to demonstrate a unique and innovative design and construction style. The entire structure was designed to be able to be constructed and assembled using only sheets of plywood and hammers - there was not a single nail or glue used in the process of assembly. And of course following IKEA's design philosophy, our project highlighted how simple and exciting it is to put together a structure by inviting visitors at the festival to stop by and help put pieces in as they explored.