Just Follow The Smell aims to utilize smell perception as the starting point for in-depth research and integration into the design process. It involves innovatively visualizing smell and applying it in the simulation and examination of the “SMELLSCAPE.” The goal is to break the invisible olfactory boundaries of the site, revitalizing the space.
Site Analysis:
Located in Wenzhou along the coast of China, the site comprises a comprehensive fishery wharf and market. This area has a long history of fishing, and locals can purchase fresh fish and various seafood products here. However, it is also gradually facing developmental dilemmas. The site has generated negative olfactory impacts due to various sources of odors, creating invisible smell boundaries that form barriers in this complex area. The area’s organization is chaotic due to spontaneous development. From this perspective, the concept of “SMELLSCAPE” was developed, exploring the possibilities of shaping space and renewing fishery history, culture, and the commercial landscape.
Design Strategy:
The process involves visualizing smells for site analysis and applying these insights in the design generation process through deduction and testing. The design optimizes the organization of spatial modules and is actively promoted and practiced in the management and control of the sense of smell. On a macro level, the management and control of negative (blue) olfactory experiences are enhanced while positive (red) olfactory experiences are amplified, combined with other valuable programs for preservation and optimization to create a diverse Smellscape experience. Following the smell control and management method, program separation directly controls negative areas. Additionally, planting design indirectly controls odors through methods like separation, masking, deodorization, and scenting, using various plant types and their corresponding functions to intervene in the spread of smells.
Vision:
After applying the smellscape control and management method and generating the space, the design is tested and optimized through smell simulation of odor particles, achieving a balance between spatial layout and Smellscape.
The vision of the market accommodates the original basic functions of the wharf and commercial spaces, while also creating a series of modules that generate additional economic value and enrich the Smellscape. For instance, re-regulating local residents and tourists to correspond with their relevant programs, adding more immersive programs with local activities for travelers, leads to controlling smell and enhancing the olfactory experience. A fragrance corridor connects a series of zones that offer positive olfactory experiences, such as tourist wharfs, cultural complexes, and food corridors, creating a unique and regionally distinctive positive olfactory spatial experience, breaking the site’s olfactory boundaries and revitalizing the space.
Jst follow the smell, and we can break the negative smell boundary and inject new vitality into this area, attracting more young people and possibly making it a must-visit tourist spot.
Winner of an Honour Award in the 2024 WLA Awards – Concept – Large Design category
Just Follow The Smell
Student: Zhiming Zhang – Harvard Graduate School of Design
Advisors: Frank Liu, Kuili Sun
