Designinc installs unique interactive light wall at Malvern children’s hospital

Architecture studio Designinc has installed a unique light-emitting wall system in the children’s ward of the Cabrini Hospital in Malvern, Australia.

Designed by new media studio Eness, the Lumes installation is an interactive light-emitting wood material that aims to engage patients in a positive, calming environment. Especially recommended for children’s wards in hospitals – an environment that can induce anxiety in young patients – Lumes blends art and technology to provide interactive experiences to anyone passing by the wall, their movements triggering animations of landscapes and animals to the delight of children.

Installed for the first time in the Paediatrics Ward at the Cabrini Hospital, the interactive material comes to life as people walk by with colourful images of animals peeking out of grass, raindrops falling on passers-by, and animated runners following human movements, among many more.

The Cabrini Hospital installation by Designinc is the first wood iteration of Lumes and turns the walls of the children’s ward into an emotive canvas.

Andrea Rindt, Nurse Director for Women and Children at Cabrini Hospital explained that they aimed to maximise the space with interactive experiences for children to use intuitively.

Eness is now working on expanding the scope of Lumes into other spaces such as hospitality and retail. The studio will collaborate with interior designers, leveraging its expertise in lighting, software, interactive media, product design, sculpture, and architecture to broaden Lumes’ material palette and integrate it into new architectural concepts.