Black Forest: A Bio-Intelligent Sensing Laboratory

Xiwen Guo's Innovative Design for a High-Tech, Eco-Friendly Space

The Black Forest gets its name from the concept skillfully expressed by the designer. Pure black is used to create an environment that mimics a forest at night, with a Blue Planet dome placed in the middle, giving the space a sense of infinite amplification. This design creates a unique nightscape atmosphere for bio-sensing experiments, drawing on the forest scene to create a friendly, low-carbon, panoramic sound, and static environment.

What sets the Black Forest apart is that it is the first key laboratory in China for human-computer interaction and affective computing based on cutting-edge bio-intelligence technology. The laboratory's design is a great challenge, involving multiple disciplines such as brain science, and film and television communication. The assembly rate of the project reached over 70%, and the reusable materials accounted for more than 80%.

The Black Forest Laboratory is designed with an environmentally friendly approach. It uses curtains, sound-absorbing panels, and PVC floor mats. The design area is 600 square meters. The design team, led by Xiwen Guo, included designers Yaolong Wu and Shenglong Yao. The project was completed in 2018 in Rugao, Nantong.

The interaction in the laboratory is designed to be immersive. Users can freely choose the interactive mode of audio-visual experience, including wearable devices such as rings and bracelets, or chairs and cushions with physiological sensing functions of different materials. The importance of the laboratory space design is to enable each experiencer to comfortably and concentratively immerse in the scene created by scientists and enjoy the baptism of senses and emotions.

The Black Forest Laboratory is a groundbreaking project and is the first key laboratory for human-computer interaction and emotional computing based on cutting-edge bio-intelligence technology in China. The assembly rate reached over 70%, and the reusable materials accounted for more than 80%. This project was awarded Silver in A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2019.