São Paulo, Brasil, 2015.

In the daytime, a coat of sheet metal creates a pixelated skin in blue, gray and gold. This urban camouflage was designed from the analysis of on-site ambient noise by using parametric software. The result is a visual reflection of the soundscape of São Paulo´s iconic Avenida Rebouças.

At night, the metal skin is illuminated by interactive light patterns. This “luminous creature” inhabits the hotel’s facade and displays its unique behavior by reacting in realtime to different stimuli. Sensors installed on the building collect sounds that affect the creature´s form and movement. Other sensors measure air quality and change the color accordingly. An application allows anyone to directly interact with this luminous creature by voice or by finger taps.

The new facade for Hotel WZ Jardins is part of a research by Estudio Guto Requena that explores the concept of “Hacking the City” – how we can bring positive changes to cities, their public spaces and architecture by plugging in poetic and functional systems that encourage changes in real time.