The goal of the Adaptive Plaza is to create a space that reacts in real time to use. If a person enters the plaza, the structure will slowly envelop them, creatung a bubble-like retreat from the outside. If a group of people enter, a larger bubble will form – creating an intimate meeting environment. The adaptations of the plaza are telegraphed visually to passersby and users within, allowing them to either join or avoid.
The purpose of optimization in this case was to generate the least amount of overall displacement (and therefore energy) with ten people inside the structure. Because displacement in this script is based on proximity, when large clusters of people are formed there is greater displacement, but when the points are spread across evenly, there is only localized displacement. Additionally, because the highest level of proximity supercedes lower levels, when points are packed extremely tightly the lowest possible displacement would occur; the system would effectively respond as though there was only one point instead of ten.