Light, Technology and Architecure | @studioeness

New media studio ENESS is turning walls into interactive stories. We've developed a light-emitting wood, LUMES - the first of its kind to integrate new media into the built form and is shaping immersive environments of the future.

The first installation has just been completed at Cabrini Hospital Malvern, Melbourne, Australia. The wood interactive material exemplifies their vision of creating a natural bridge between technology and art to create a positive, meaningful environment.

“Our goal was to maximise the space with interactive experiences that children could intuitively use,” said Cabrini Hospital’s Nurse Director for Women and Children, Andrea Rindt.

Natural wood veneer comes to life, surprising people as they walk past. Animals peek their heads out of grass that grows with movement, animated rain drops fall on passers-by, rockets launch and animated runners follow human movements, and that's just the beginning. The installation is built into natural materials, elegantly integrated so children aren’t staring at another digital device, but become immersed in a positive environment. Emotive colour combinations are embedded to reduce the stress and anxiety children feel in the space.

ENESS sees LUMES forming immersive environments in a range of architectural projects, from commercial to tourism, hospitality and retail spaces. They're also expanding the material palette beyond wood, canvas and acrylic - they're looking forward to working with architects who wish to integrate LUMES into new concepts and materials.