Data Pipe Dreams is an interactive pavilion commissioned for the Edinburgh Art Festival, designed to explore how everyday behaviours intersect with data, technology, and society.
The project was designed in collaboration with Design Informatics, The University of Edinburgh, and Tesco Bank, bringing together architecture, technology, and user experience.
The pavilion allows visitors to explore how everyday actions — from energy use to social media interactions — ripple across personal, economic, and social networks. It transforms abstract data into tangible, playful, and engaging experiences that spark curiosity.
The brief required the pavilion to be assembled on George Street in under three days by students and researchers. This demonstrated that complex interactive installations can be prefabricated efficiently while remaining visually striking.
Design Concept
The pavilion reflects the research it showcases. The design emerged from thinking about data on a macro scale, visualising flows, connections, and patterns.
Bright neon pool noodles represent data “wires” and create luminous constellations overhead. They are durable, waterproof, and transmit light, adding a playful visual element. The pavilion competes for attention during the busy festival while remaining approachable and inviting.
Parametric modelling allowed the team to test colours, density, and wire patterns in real time. It also produced CAD files for CNC machining of OSB panels. This ensured precision while enabling rapid experimentation and visualisation.
Structure & Fabrication
The pavilion uses off-the-shelf scaffolding components, including galvanized steel tubes and clamps, forming a robust, flexible skeleton. Both the interior and exterior were clad with CNC-machined OSB panels containing thousands of holes for pool noodles and exhibition components.
A clear polycarbonate inner roof and breathable membrane provide waterproofing while letting the pavilion “breathe” overnight. Offsite prefabrication allowed the team to test assemblies, resolve tolerances, and refine interactive installations before the festival.
Visitor Experience
Visitors interact with a variety of prototypes: energy trading simulations, social media experiments, and gamified data scenarios. The pavilion encourages hands-on engagement, making abstract data intuitive and playful.
Open circulation and adaptable zones allow multiple visitors to explore simultaneously. The luminous ceiling and interactive features create a visually captivating experience that visitors remember.
Outcome
Data Pipe Dreams demonstrates the power of collaborative, interdisciplinary design. It merges architecture, technology, and research into an educational and immersive environment.
The pavilion highlights the potential of prefabrication, modular construction, and inventive use of everyday materials to deliver complex installations efficiently. It shows how architecture can bring research to life, spark curiosity, and create joyful public experiences.
Design Informatics, University of Edinburgh – further reading from Design Informatics.
UK Government: Data Ethics – research context.
Interactive Data Design Examples – general authority on interactive design.
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