Client
PolyGone Systems Inc.
Overview
PolyGone Systems, a cleantech startup founded in 2021 to tackle microplastic pollution in waterways, was launching its first public pilot demonstration project in the Atlantic County Utilities Authority in New Jersey. The educational exhibition pavilion was a part of the pilot project to introduce background information on microplastic pollution and PolyGone's story.
Client
PolyGone Systems Inc.
Industry
Cleantech
Service
Exhibition Design
Industrial Design
Duration
3 Months
The Challenge
The project was funded through NOAA Sea Grant and had a tight budget allocated for the exhibition pavilion. As a part of the pilot project, the exhibition site was on the outdoor equalibrium basin platform in the ACUA Wastewater Treatment Facility, unlike the usual site condition for exhibitions. The design had to accommodate material & finish limitation under the outdoor condition where rain or strong wind were common on site, and create budget-fitting design solution that does not compromise the audience experiences.
The Solution
We proposed the design inspired by the most common infrastructure system in water industry--pipes--to represent the flow and lifecycle of microplastics. On the other hand, the rounded hollow tubes allowed the pavilion to withstand horizontal wind load while protecting crucial exhibited materials and electrical components from rain. To consider the weather condition of a coastal city where salt concentration is higher, stainless steel became the best material choices for us to maximize its durability and maintain the cost. To serve a wide range of audience from professionals to teenage school students, the exhibition incorporated item displays of daily objects and interactive visual display that reveals hard-to-see fluorescent microplastics under UV light.
The Result
The pavilion parts were manufactured oversea in China and assembled on site. During the grand opening event, more than 100 industrial professionals, scholars, government officials, and journalists visited and experienced the exhibition before the microplastic remediation demonstration. Not only featured on multiple US news media outlets, the exhibition marked the determination in community engagement and public education of PolyGone Systems in threatening environmental problems.
