The Future of City Squares: Robotics in the Urban Design of Tomorrow

Abstract

Technological development generates social changes while providing new tools that can be implemented in the fields of architecture and urban design. It creates the need to enrich architects’ competencies with knowledge and experience, enabling the conscious use of technology in designing future functional solutions for responsive space and the optimization of accessibility for various groups of users. This paper presents a teaching method developed to study the integration of architecture, urban planning and mechatronics to create a dynamic common space, responding to changing user needs and environmental conditions. Four experimental projects for a chosen public space were designed by students in order to investigate research by design and as an agenda for further design research. In the final part of the article, we present predictions for the future development of kinetic and responsive architecture in public spaces, including potential opportunities and challenges.

1. Introduction

In the face of worldwide population growth and the climate problems that our planet is struggling with, including the dynamic shrinkage of forested areas, it has become essential to search for design solutions that will enable the creation of public spaces corresponding to future needs. This must be accomplished without further increasing the area currently occupied in the city, and by increasing the effective use of space that has already been incorporated into the urban area. The concept of the efficiency of shared space is understood here both as intelligent and complementary transport services as well as the continued use of public spaces through the availability and use of the same public square area for different social and age groups active in the civic space at different times of the day.

One of the tools that can be used for creating multifunctional and flexible public spaces is implementing new technologies offered by successive industrial revolutions that are used in kinetic and responsive architecture. This requires improving architects’ competencies in the field of mechatronics, a discipline comprising classical mechanics, electronics and information technology, to enable the conscious use of technology in the designing process.

Implementing currently available digital tools in urban and architectural projects can additionally be used to strengthen the role of social participation, responsibility and involvement in the shaping of the public space. By deploying new technologies, users can have a direct or indirect influence on the layout of the area, including the use of variable geometry solutions.

The analysis and design proposals presented in this paper intended to consider the potential benefits of deploying tools used in industry in the context of urban design, taking into account the increase in population density while ensuring a high standard of living for residents.

1.1. The Role of Changeability in Public Spaces

The role of architecture with variable parameters, including kinetic and responsive architecture, is not limited to the interiors of modern living spaces or cultural facilities, i.e., performance stages such as the Hoberman Arch [1]; it increasingly appears in the public space.

The installation in the front of the Museum of Modern Art in Vienna [2] (Figure 1a), where colorful, light plastic forms are exhibited in the summer, gives users the opportunity to shape the space closest to them by moving individual blocks and, consequently, changing the layout of the square. Another example where users can modify the setting of the square is the urban furniture of the LentSpace project [3] (Figure 1b). The project includes partitions that function as seats and are mounted on pillars which users can rotate.

The Shed, which opened in New York in 2019 (Figure 2) and was designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro architects [4], is an art center that is responsive to changing media and the needs of artists. It is 37 m tall, made of an exposed steel frame, and clad in translucent cushions of ETFE. It is a fully mechanized, systematized moving part of the building above the square. The retractable structure is driven by six 15-horsepower electric drives [5]. It is mounted on industrial rollers running on guides. When relocating the kinetic elements, which takes approximately 5 min, the working space is closed to users. The first two solutions enable the active participation of users and the shaping of the immediate space. At the same time, there is also a lack of built-in drives that prevents the system management of the layout. In addition, limiting the drive to the strength of human muscles reduces the scale of interaction that allows a change in public space in the first two examples. In turn, the third example is powered at a scale that requires the use of large forces, preventing any social participation.

The use of elements allowing for a quick reorganization of public spaces and the possibility of changing its functions, in line with current needs, is part of the first postulate of the Top Ten Urban Innovations document prepared at the World Economic Forum in 2015 [6]. The postulate (Digitally) Re-Programmable Space is directly related to the limitations of the territorial development of cities, despite the expected increase in the number of people living in them. At the same time, industrial revolutions and the associated technological developments bring about new tools, which can be used in the areas of architecture and urban planning.

1.2. New Industrial Tools

As far back as antiquity, examples of planned, kinetic variability can be found in architecture. The direct force of human hands was used to move Japanese shoji screens, thus changing the functional layout of space. The use of simple machines [7] described by Vitruvius enabled an increase in scale for the construction of the retractable roof and the Roman Colosseum [8].

New sources of power controlled by man resulted in the emergence of steam-driven technology and the empowerment of production. It became the driving force of the first industrial revolution, which began at the end of the 18th century. The further development of inventions in electrification and the creation of production lines were the basis of the second industrial revolution. The era of machines was reflected in architecture, both in terms of the use of new materials on a large scale (steel structure) as well as in terms of infrastructure and the equipment of buildings.

The third industrial revolution, also known as the information revolution, is combined with the use of computers on a large scale, allowing for further industry automation. In architecture, it provided new tools for designing and saving data in detail at the building and city-scale (CAD, computer-aided design) [9], building process management (BIM, building information modeling) and the operation of the resulting buildings, including the initial version of the building management system (BMS, building management system). In addition, simulation tools were developed to predict the movement and potential collisions of a large number of components, along with the ability to estimate forces and identify the necessary drives.

During this time, the fields of materials science and nanotechnology made it possible to create intelligent and responsive materials that can change their parameters under the influence of a control signal or automatically respond to changing environmental conditions. An example of the use of structures where operation is based on appropriately selected materials and their examination and appropriate assembly is the HydroSkin Pavilion [10] project, in which the external walls were covered with wood scales that deformed under the influence of moisture.

Among the more advanced materials for the design and research of digital tools for direct use, one can mention nanotube surfaces [11], which can change their acoustic parameters under the influence of applied voltage. The increase in the role played by digitization has brought humanity to the next technological revolution.

The term Industry 4.0 appeared for the first time in a German document published in 2011 related to the directions of industrial development [12]. It refers to modern automation and ongoing data exchange between devices on the production line (cyber–physical system, CPS) [13] and in everyday life (Internet of Things, IoT). In both cases, the ability to digitally communicate between physical devices and take actions based on the obtained information without human intervention plays a key role. These tools require the use of cloud computing, which is also a digital platform for data exchange.

In addition to the new architecture responsible for the data management system and decision-making in a distributed system, the main features of Industry 4.0, sometimes also attributed to the term Industry 5.0 [14], can be attributed to further progress in the automation and implementation of collaborative robots as well as mass product personalization. Moreover, the key slogan of the fifth industrial revolution talks about enhancing the role of man [15]. An important element is also the use of artificial intelligence systems on a large scale, which is more and more often classified as an element of the potential sixth industrial revolution [16]. A summary of the key features of individual revolutions in the architectural context is presented in Figure 3.

Regardless of the adopted classification, contemporary industrial revolutions have a significant impact on the development of variable architecture.

The use of the Internet of Things (IoT) has brought a new face to BIM and BMS. Thanks to fast communication and the use of numerous, inexpensive sensors, it is possible to reduce the consumption of the electricity needed to manage a facility [17]. The integration of BIM and GIS (geographic information system) with IoT systems has opened the way for construction and design management, as well as the implementation of highly complex projects. However, it may be of key importance here to ensure the safety of users who already operate in the vicinity of movable elements, not in terms of separating them from mechanisms, but in terms of collecting and analyzing data in real time and preventing potential conflicts at the control level, as in the case of dynamically developing cooperative and collaborating robots over the last decade.

Figure 3. A summary of industrial revolutions with their basic slogans and key changes introduced in the field of mobile architecture and urban elements, based on our own previous studies [18].

Figure 3. A summary of industrial revolutions with their basic slogans and key changes introduced in the field of mobile architecture and urban elements, based on our own previous studies [18].

1.3. ROBOneighborhood

Recent design research studios at the Warsaw University of Technology focused on the opportunities that may bring about the implementation of new technologies in the civic space. The experimental project refers to the concepts of kinetic architecture introduced by Prof. William Zug [19] and responsive architecture proposed by Prof. Nicolas Negroponte [20,21]. Both terms refer to the architectural environment enriched with sensors and actuators, including mechanical drives, allowing the space geometry to be changed and adapted to current needs.

In a design experiment undertaken in 2019–2020, the graduate students were exploring the potential of robotics and mechanics to improve architecture created for common, urban spaces in the future. Such structures, enriched with sensors and actuators, are referred to as architectronics, that is, a synergistic combination of architecture and mechatronics [22,23]. Deployed specifically in the urban context, it resulted in the ROBOneighborhood projects. Common spaces serving as a natural bridge between buildings and the city have been analyzed from the architectural scale down to the details of urban design. The project was situated in the context of a European city square which combines different uses, including housing, office and commercial uses. This square also has the potential for future change associated with the rearrangement of areas currently used for transportation and parking lots. Prior to formulating the final projects, student teams addressed design research in four distinct areas: transport, weather and climate, the rhythm of the day and city events.

The ROBOneighborhood course was taught in the 2019–2020 academic year by Karolina Dąbrowska-Żółtak, Jakub Franczuk and Krzysztof Nazar under the coordination of Professor Stefan Wrona. The studio was the next in the series of the ROBOstudio courses developed by Professor Jerzy Wojtowicz that have been given at the Faculty of Architecture at the Warsaw University of Technology since 2011. It aims to synergize the combination of architecture and mechatronics in the design of spaces of the future.

This article indicates that the use of new technologies in architectural and urban design can help shape more effective and adaptive cities capable of dynamic responses to changing needs. Possible changes were considered both from the perspective of the current needs of the inhabitants, which change over the course of a day, week, year or decade, as well as in the case of the long-term tendencies, emergencies or unexpected events that happen in a city.

The aim of the work is to analyze selected projects in the field of kinetic architecture and the architecture of changes that are dedicated to shared spaces. We will conduct this analysis in terms of the scale of assumptions, using solutions with variable geometry, and applying security measures to protect users. Additionally, this work presents selected students’ projects designed as part of the experimental ROBOstudio project, which aimed to explore selected possibilities for using mechatronic solutions at the scale of urban neighborhood spaces in the future.

2. Materials and Methods

In the experimental course that took place at WUT in 2019–2020, student groups developed solutions for kinetic structures aimed at improving the quality of public space in one of the main public squares in a European capital that is used for transit, i.e., Constitution Square in Warsaw (Figure 4). Students were analyzing the possibility of using mechatronic tools in architectural design using research by design [24] and design thinking [25] as methods for developing innovations in chosen architectural and urban contexts. The projects had to cover the needs of various user groups and changes in the development of the square planned by students.

The project’s location was a city square defined by housing, office and commercial buildings. In addition, it had potential for future changes associated with the development of the space currently used as a transportation hub.

The main issues to be addressed during the course were:

• Accessibility, based on research and experience gathered during the ROBOsenior courses in 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 [26];
• Private and public transportation of the future in a responsive city;
• Anticipated social changes related to the post-industrial revolution, including employment structure and users’ lifestyles;
• The change of geometry as a response to changing urban conditions;
• The modularization, prefabrication and assembly of architectural elements.

As a consequence, four proposals were obtained, aimed at creating a responsive urban space. Their diversity was influenced, among other factors, by a variety of analyzed topics. Each individual team had to focus on issues related to the changing needs of users over the course of each day, occasional events organized in the public space of the plaza, transport issues in the city and weather and climate conditions.

Information about the Process

The study was divided into two phases: the introductory design/research phase, and the main designing phase. In the design/research (dR) phase, two areas, social (dR1) and technological (dR2) factors, contributed to the problems with the formulation design:

• dR 1 involved a situated user case study, which studied the specific needs of the future city square users. In this part, students participated in a workshop including a presentation on a social science study on the design process presented by Ewa Majdecka, a sociologist studying Warsaw’s urban space;
• dR 2 comprised the urban modules’ precedent study/technology, which investigated the innovative precedents, new technologies and materials for making the prefab structures dedicated to the public space. In this part, students were supported by an engineer specializing in mechatronics.

The process of the main project included three sets of design problems (PS):

• PS1: The first problem set involved the design of the fragment, i.e., a mechatronic element significant to the city square users. Students were expected to prepare an animation illustrating the mechanical principle of a design and the logic diagram of its mechatronic system. The design of bottom-up fragments/elements was to be followed by the integration with PS2;
• PS2: The second design problem involved the design of a future city square, as a systemic, prefabricated, multipurpose container using experimental technologies such as carbon fiber or cocoon-type air frames. The design of the future city square had to be adapted to the needs of seniors and people with disabilities, taking into account changes in the city transport system (private and public) as well as employment structures. The top-down design of the future city square followed an integration with the PS1;
• PS3: The third, short design problem set required designing and building a reductive interactive model of the previously considered project element or detail. The scaled prototype of the fragment had to be schematic, diagrammatic and interactive. The electronic components were provided as well as an introduction to Arduino programming.

The design classes were accompanied by lectures to familiarize students with the basics of mechatronics, changes related to the new industrial revolution and the modern use of new technologies in the design of architectural objects and urban structures. In parallel, students participated in classes directly related to robotics, conducted at the Faculty of Mechatronics of the Warsaw University of Technology. It aimed at familiarizing the students with the basics of the robotics specialization.

For the design of mobile structures, students used Rhino and Grasshopper programs, the basics of which are taught as part of the engineering programs in the Faculty of Architecture. In addition, students were encouraged to use Inventor and Autodesk Fusion 360, with support provided by the design instructors. Finally, as a part of the Arduino workshops, the students were given a presentation on the basic issues related to working with microcontrollers and sample programs to support the actuators and sensors used in the final models.

As per the needs of this course, individual groups comprised five to six students, which allowed for the division of work, including the division of people responsible for the technical part, simulations and a responsive, physical model.

The developed scenarios showed how the architecture and urban arrangements could change as a function of time. The daily, weekly, annual and irregular variances were taken into account. During the design process, a flexible space that responds to the needs of different user groups was considered. The fragments of final project presentations were supplemented with the kinetic and responsive models using Arduino microcontrollers and basic actuators. Working models allowed for the examination of the strengths and weaknesses of the conceptual structure and verification of assumptions for both urban and mechatronic design of the future square.

3. Results

3.1. Case Study of Students’ Projects

As part of the ROBOneighborhood theme implemented in the 2019–2020 academic year, four basic design issues were identified. These were randomly assigned to project implementation groups as a starting point for the analysis and design of responsive solutions. The suggested topics were (1) transport, (2) weather/climate, (3) city events and (4) the rhythm of the day (

Table 1. A list of the analyzed student projects, presenting the kinetic design proposals of individual teams.

No.	Name	Kinetic Element Description	Illustration
1	Transport: The Snap Hub	Permanent city roofs, with modular kinetic elements, allowing the independent control of the opening of two layers responsible for shading and protection against noise, and protection against rainfall
2	Rhythm of The Day: The Modulequare	Kinetic floor, allowing the reorganization of the city square by changing its tectonics, including the creation of seats or walls separating a smaller fragment of the space
3	City Events	A kinetic city sculpture that is a landmark of a given space, with built-in utility functions: shaded seats, a summer cinema screen and a playground
4	Weather: The Urban Umbrella	A modular network of city umbrellas with the possibility of automatic retraction under the square floor.

).

3.1.1. Transport: The Snap Hub

The theme of the Snap Hub project was the issue of transport, including an analysis of anticipated changes, including current technologies which are still under development. Moreover, it looked at the opportunities and threats posed by the location and geometry of Constitution Square in this respect.

The general design of the future Constitution Square provided for the reorganization of road transport by the elimination of one of the roads running through the designated area (Marszałkowaska Street) and the conversion of the second one-way road into a two-way road (Ludwika Waryńskiego Street). In order to improve transportation, it was decided to propose a roundabout and clearly separate car and bicycle traffic (Figure 5).

As a result of the reorganization of the transport system, the distance between bus stops dedicated to traffic in opposite directions was to be shortened from about 70 m to 20 m, thus reducing the time needed to overcome the pedestrian crossing that separates them (Figure 6). In addition, the space connecting the public transport stops in the project was covered with an openwork structure equipped with kinetic panels designed to protect users against atmospheric conditions (rainfall, excessive sunlight) and to separate pedestrian traffic from car sounds by introducing a sound insulation layer.

In addition, in order to improve the safety of non-motorized traffic participants, the project incorporated light holograms into the pedestrian crossings, in order to additionally signal the presence of pedestrians within the lanes. A similar lighting solution was provided to signal the incoming trams.

In order to increase the area dedicated to pedestrians, the project provided for the creation of an underground car park under the surface of the square and a multi-level, automated parking space for bicycles inspired by solutions already used in Japan. Bicycles are stored on the underground rack equipped with a movable feeder, enabling the storage and retrieval of objects on individual storage rails.

As a responsive detail, students developed a panel with variable properties that fills the openwork structure covering the square. Each of the individual panels allows for leaving the structure open or unfolding the material, which protects against precipitation and air pollution, and a second material, responsible for sound and sun insulation. The design foresees that both material layers can be controlled independently through a mechanism hidden in the module frame. The elements would be repeatable or partially repeatable, and suspended on a frame dedicated to the needs of a given project.

The movement of the shutters would be based on the use of the pairs of rotating elements in each of the panels in a given angular range, which would be connected by an elastic joint. Depending on the needs, these elements would move apart and fold the material, which could protect against rainfall or be used for covering and soundproofing. The project provides for the use of small electric servo drives.

Controlling the opening of individual panels is dependent on the floor conditions and the volume of the traffic of vehicles and pedestrians. Additionally, the project envisages a performative function, where visual considerations would condition the change in the opening of the panels. The project does not consider the direct participation of users in the system control process.

Relatively low force drives the movement. Before changing the elemental position at a height that allows for human interaction, the movement is carried out after checking that there are no users in the immediate vicinity.

This project involves standardizing the square area, shortening the road crossing and proposing traffic lights to provide additional protection for pedestrians. Moreover, other important considerations include improving environmental conditions such as providing protection against overheating and rainfall, and being available to all groups of users, especially in the case of people with disabilities.

The kinetic model developed during the study (Figure 7) presents the principle whereby the kinetic module fills the openwork supporting structure. The arms on which the material was stretched were rotated using two servo drives, allowing for control over the opening and closure of the module. For the needs of the exhibition, ultrasonic distance sensors were used as a trigger signal for changing the position of the arms that unfold the material.

3.1.2. Rhythm of the Day: The Modulequare

The Modulequare project was a response to the changing needs of users of Constitution Square, who use this space at different times of the day. During the analysis phase, the team identified basic types of activities carried out in the square, starting from the interchange space (the main function at rush hour), to a lunch space for employees from the nearby offices, finishing with the space for rest and recreation for people coming to the center, ending with the neighborhood area for local residents.

The design of the future square included the removal of existing parking spaces (Figure 8), justified by the anticipated changes in the development of autonomous vehicles and the anticipated adoption of rental services for electric vehicles in city centers.

The eponymous Modulequare comprises a kinetic floor design for the city square in the future. The project assumed the possibility of rearranging the square daily and weekly for the needs of residents and the events organized by the city, thanks to the use of kinetic elements (Figure 9). The variable elements have been designed specifically for implementation in this context but can be adapted to the needs of other urban spaces. In the zero setting, they create a homogeneous square surface with a flatbed.

The individual modules move in a linear motion. Students assumed the possibility of extending it to a height of 3 m. The movement would be carried out thanks to the use of electrically powered telescopic hydraulic cylinders.

The authors of the project predicted the possibility of steering in three ways. The first assumed the use of artificial intelligence and traffic data in the city and matching the tectonics of the square to the anticipated needs of users. The second was the control of the application by users, generating a request for certain places, such as a place to sit or work on the square. A third method would be a usage schedule applied to organized activities in the square, such as exhibitions, open-air theatre or cinema, or a fair.

The safety of users was to be ensured in two ways: first of all, by minimizing the gaps between the moving surfaces, and second, by using sensors, including cameras around the square and distance sensors, which would help detect pedestrians and avoid changes in position when a pedestrian approaches.

Users have a twofold influence on the control of the square: through the application, i.e., their conscious activity in the public space and, through their activity, i.e., their way of using the square. These are measured by sensors, tracking mobile devices, etc., and the result is that user activity shapes the square.

As part of building a responsive 3D model, the group constructed a system of 16 vertically moving, independently controlled modules, with a triangular base, aimed at illustrating the principle of the system of the designed floor of the future square. For the needs of the model, servo drives and mechanical linkages were used to change rotary motion into linear motion (Figure 10).

During a more detailed analysis of the project and adaptation of it to the needs of potential implementation, it would be advisable to propose elements with a height of 3 m, both in terms of minimizing the height of the structure under the surface of the square and reducing the costs of the potential implementation. In terms of safety, it is worth considering adding a signal informing users about a potential change in the ejection of given modules, which may limit the number of people approaching a given area and, consequently, improve the process of changing the floor geometry.

3.1.3. City Events

The City Events team dealt with the topic of occasional events that can be carried out on the city square. As a result of preliminary analyses, students focused on enabling happenings, family meetings or summer cinema on the square. At the same time, due to the proximity of residential buildings, it was decided to not implement a stage, which would enable, among other things, concerts, a type of event which resulted in protests from local residents in the past.

In the general plan of the square, it was decided to remove the open-air parking spaces. The main reason for this was anticipated changes in the way cars are used, as in the case of the previous project. In addition, it was planned to remove the road leading towards Zbawiciela Square (a fragment of Marszałkowska Street) in favor of strengthening the role of Waryńskiego Street (Figure 11).

The placement of spatial forms consisting of 12 cubes was planned on the square. Their interconnection was supposed to allow for reorganization while maintaining the integrity of the entire form. The designed structure would have the character of a spatial sculpture, performing a functional role and becoming a distinguishing element of Constitution Square. In the case of a fully closed form, the side walls could act as a summer cinema screen, the intermediate form would provide an opportunity to relax, while the fully unfolded form would play the role of a municipal playground, dedicated to the youngest users of the square and their parents as well as teenagers and students.

The position of interconnected cuboidal volumes could be changed according to preliminarily assumed roles. The principle of changing the movement of solids relative to each other was inspired by morphable elements made of paper. The block provides for the possibility of the rotation of selected joints in the ranges of 0–90 or 0–180 degrees, with the use of rotary drives built into the axes of the modules, with fewer loaded modules and linear hydraulic drives, in the case of connections carrying higher loads. The authors proposed using auto-lock elements to fix the mechanism’s position in the safety field.

The project assumed the possibility of controlling the system founded on events planned in public space and based on data on the flow of users and vehicles. The control system did not assume any direct influence from the users on the module’s settings. The indirect impact resulted from the analysis of user behavior and needs. The kinetic element design does not directly consider improvements for people with disabilities.

A movable structure built of 12 cubic modules was presented as a responsive model, presenting the sculptural, spatial form dedicated to Constitution Square in the future. The model used two servo drives to reconfigure the system of cuboidal solids and presented the three basic systems used in the final design (Figure 12).

3.1.4. Weather/Climate: The Urban Umbrella

The key words of the fourth group were changeable weather and climate conditions. As part of the study, the group proposed placing a set of multifunctional city umbrellas on the square, enabling its reorganization by creating an overlay in selected parts of the square. A network of umbrellas could be hidden under the surface of the square. The group did not foresee any significant changes in the transport system within the yard, assuming only a future reduction in traffic, with the possibility of closing the yard for cars during weekends. The square provides for the installation of a network of city umbrellas, with structural elements that could be completely hidden under the surface of the square when they were not used.

The detail developed under the project was the city umbrella, a multifunctional element of the small architecture of the square, spanning over 16 m, at a height of 8 m. In addition to the function of sun shading and protecting against adverse weather conditions, the umbrella of the future would collect rainwater and be equipped with solar batteries.

The change in geometry would create a pedestrian canopy during unfavorable weather conditions, including rainfall or excessive sunlight. The height of the umbrellas from under the ground changes, as well as the degree of their unfolding and the angle of the inclination of the umbrella’s arms. The project assumed the possibility of spreading the umbrella over the heads of users or lowering one of the umbrella arms to protect it from the wind and create a closed volume (Figure 13). For example, it is possible to temporarily set up a market hall on the square in the pre-Christmas period.

The kinetic elements were designed for the needs of the project, but they are modular and could be easily adapted to the needs of other projects.

The system provides for the use of a separate drive that allows for the vertical extension of umbrellas, and a separate drive responsible for unfolding the arms and checking their account. While working on the project, the use of an additional system enabling the winding of the umbrella fabric was considered, but this issue was ultimately not resolved. The change in the geometry would take place on the basis of information about the expected weather conditions or implement the planned functional system related to the events organized by the city. There is no information on detailed security solutions in the project. Additional functions of the umbrella, anticipated by the designers, include the possibility of adding rainwater and solar energy to the modules.

As a model of a multifunctional urban umbrella, a skeletal structure was developed. It presented the principle of unfolding the umbrella from a position where the supporting elements are arranged vertically upwards (just after sliding out from below the square surface), opening the umbrella creating a covering and finally lowering the arms of the diagonal square, showing the setting in which the umbrellas form shelter against wind, among other things, and creating partially closed side walls.

The main challenge in this project is to ensure safety when repositioning the modules when lowering one of the parts of the umbrella. It is worth considering the temporary separation of pedestrians from part of the square or predicting the movement of pedestrians based on optical sensors and the implementation of traffic only when there are no people nearby. There is the possibility of combining this system with visual and sound signaling that informs people about the change in the position of the umbrella arms.

In addition, a problem in the implementation of this project could be the need to create deep excavations under the surface of the square for the needs of the underground structure, which may be a problem in the case of the reconstruction of already existing squares. In addition, in the case of umbrellas hidden under the floor, it is necessary to widen and strengthen the structure, compared to non-retractable umbrellas. It would also be necessary to perform a more detailed material analysis allowing for the selection of the fabric stretched on the umbrella structure.

3.1.5. Comparison of the Data Used for System Control and User Safety

Designed kinetic structures are supposed to react to the flow of users, environmental conditions and weather conditions, among other things. In addition, these elements have been used to ensure the safety of users based on data about their location and current distance from moving parts to anticipate potential conflicts, as is the case in projecting cooperating and collaborating robots, including possible uses. Most of the students willingly chose these technologies to increase the designed structures’ effectiveness and safety, including digital data (

Table 2. Summary of the use of dynamically collected data about users, weather and climatic conditions in individual, analyzed projects.

	Transport: The Snap Hub	Rhythm of the Day: The Modulequare	City Events	Weather: The Urban Umbrella
Information about the location of people and vehicles
The project involves collecting information on the movement of people and vehicles	✔	✔	✔	✔
Information about users was to be used in advance planning for the alignment of kinetic elements	✔	✔	✔	✔
The change of kinetic forms based on the current analysis of information collected in real time	✔	✔	-	-
Information used to determine patterns of behavior characteristics for a given space and to develop a schedule for changing the arrangement of kinetic elements	✔	✔	✔	✔
Information from sensors is one of the main security measures	-	✔	-	✔
The data complement other security measures	✔	-	✔	-
Information about weather and environmental conditions
Precipitation	✔	-	✔	✔
Insolation	✔	-	-	✔
Noise	✔	-	-	-
Air pollution	✔	-	-	-

).

4. Discussions

While working with students, the basic issues to consider were the creation of free space in the urban area, which could automatically adapt or be tuned to the current needs of its users. As a result, the projects proposed by the students introduced the possibility of changing the function of the selected part of the square, although they differed significantly in terms of the solutions used and the adopted scale of the assumption.

In the case of The Snap Hub and The Urban Umbrella solutions, where the students proposed roofing projects, there is a chance to extend the total time of use of the square during rainy periods and excessive sunlight. Kinetic roofing were implemented, among others, in the Msheireb Heart of Doha square, designed by Mossessian and Partners in 2015 as light hanging construction [28] and as the shading umbrellas over Medina Haram Piazza, which were designed by SL-Rasch GmbH, Leinfelden-Echterdingen and realized in 2010 [29]. The authors described both examples in the context of kinetic architecture in the service of reconfigurable urban spaces in the recent article [30].

The remaining solutions provide an opportunity to increase the attractiveness and diversity of the public space program, which could potentially contribute to the use of this space by a greater number of users, spending more time there in total. This hypothesis would require further research in order to confirm it, although there are examples in the literature of the beneficial influence of the variety of usable space on its functional values [31,32].

Despite the unorthodox approach to the preservation of the current underground infrastructure existing on the square, and contrary to earlier assumptions, students did not decide to change it and use multi-level structures that could significantly affect the transport system, which in the original assumption of the given topic was one of the key aspects of using new technologies in future square design.

The choice of the real square in Warsaw as a location for the experimental project enabled the analysis of the existing conditions and expectations of specific square users. At the same time, it set restrictions, in particular in the case of the multi-level development of the square and the use of underground space, due to the existing infrastructure, including the tunnel of the metro line. As a consequence, the solutions developed mostly concerned interference at the ground level of the square, taking into account the reorganization of the current road system and the preservation of the actual and planned rail tracks. The tram network and metro tunnel together with the newly planned station were taken into account by a few of the project teams.

During the subsequent design work, the students considered adopting an area with smaller restrictions associated with already existing infrastructure as an underlying public space, or eliminating such restrictions completely by proposing an abstract space and defining only its geometric framework.

The goal of subsequent design phases would be to deepen the study of the possibilities of implementing mechatronic and digital solutions within the architectural and urban shaping of public and semi-public spaces, including transport infrastructure or spaces dedicated to municipal services, including emergency services.

The responsive, physical models (examples shown in Figure 11 and Figure 13) prepared at the end of the course served a variety of functions including: the identification and removal of potentially conflicting moving elements in the final design; deepening knowledge in the field of available mechanical solutions, which is related to problems of building a specific model; considering aspects of the safe design of moving elements by observing potentially dangerous parts in a safe, scaled model; and developing an algorithm necessary to program the kinetic model.

Experience from ongoing projects shows that the ability to design and work on a responsive model, which is an integral part of the final commitment, is associated with a deeper student involvement in improving their work, compared only to developing skills and experience in a virtual environment.

5. Conclusions

Despite some shortcomings and adopted simplifications, the student projects and the accompanying analyses undertaken as part of the ROBOneighborhood topic, are examples of a multi-aspect research field. They analyzed the possibilities for creating a dynamic space that is capable of responding to users’ current needs, adapted to the changing rhythm of the use of public space and researched opportunities to manage data in the city and base them on their further data transfer.

Presenting new technologies and solutions dedicated to public spaces to students during their research work resulted in innovative proposals. It was possible to obtain the futurist plans of responsive urban areas using effective storing mechanisms for vehicles and enlarging space for pedestrians. Automatically reorganized proposals are among the answers to increasing the efficiency of the use of already urbanized areas.

The use of new technologies in an architect’s workshop, including industrial revolution tools, could and should constitute an integral part of architectural education, including education based on the latest trends and tools available in technical fields.