Mystical City Architect

Dream House Spring to Life in Our Vibrant City

It is an interactive art installation that bridges the physical and digital worlds, transforming traditional building blocks into magical architectural creations. This innovative project combines tangible magnetic tiles with real-time scanning technology and AI-powered illustration generation to create an engaging experience that inspires creativity in both children and adults.

Services

Custom Experience

Client

Weee_tw & MNTL.taiwan

Year | Location

2024/11/01~03 | Creative Space, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Taipei

Challenge

Find a way to transform physical constructions into digital art while maintaining the intuitive, hands-on nature of building with magnetic tiles.

The primary challenge was to create an engaging educational experience that would make architecture and city planning accessible and entertaining for all ages. We needed to find a way to transform physical constructions into digital art while maintaining the intuitive, hands-on nature of building with magnetic tiles. Additionally, the installation needed to seamlessly integrate multiple technologies while providing immediate visual feedback to maintain user engagement.

Strategy

Maintaining simplicity in user interaction while implementing complex technical solutions behind the scenes

Our approach focused on creating a seamless bridge between physical play and digital transformation. We developed a system that would capture the essence of children’s creativity while adding a layer of magical transformation through technology. The strategy centered on maintaining simplicity in user interaction while implementing complex technical solutions behind the scenes.

Solution

Providing immediate feedback and maintaining user engagement throughout the creative process

The installation combines several key components:

A physical building station with magnetic tiles for creating architectural structures
A webcam-based scanning system that captures the physical constructions
AI-powered image generation that transforms captured structures into whimsical, hand-drawn illustrations
A projection system displaying a virtual city where transformed buildings are integrated
Real-time visualization of the transformation process, creating a “magical” scanning effect

The system processes these elements in real-time, providing immediate feedback and maintaining user engagement throughout the creative process.

Result

Achieved its goal of making architecture and urban design accessible and enjoyable for all ages

In the 3 days

Built 471 houses
Built 64 cities

The installation has proven to be highly successful in engaging both children and adults. Children have shown particular enthusiasm, repeatedly returning to create different structures and expand their virtual city. Adults have also expressed strong interest in the technological and creative aspects of the installation. The project has effectively achieved its goal of making architecture and urban design accessible and enjoyable for all ages.

Insight

Power of combining tangible play with digital transformation to create meaningful educational experiences.

“Mystical City Architect” demonstrates the power of combining tangible play with digital transformation to create meaningful educational experiences.
The project reveals that when technology is implemented thoughtfully, it can enhance rather than replace traditional play methods. The installation’s success highlights the importance of immediate feedback and visual transformation in maintaining engagement, while also showing how AI can be used to enhance creativity rather than replace it.