Thinking about ‘designing for change’, and how Tokyo Sea Life Park creates an ‘environmental culture’

Most large scale problems require joint effort from multiple actors in the ecosystem. Reading about the architectural design rationale behind the Tokyo Sea Life Park made me think about how this actually promotes ‘designing for change’ in a subtle yet clever way. It’s one thing to make people care about a topic, it’s another thing to help them become involved in positive change.

If we look at the standard concept of an aquarium, animals are the stars of the attractions - the dolphin show, the penguin walk... We go away with stuffed toys that remind us how cute and incredible these creatures are (of course, I have them too). But what’s usually missing is a more holistic appreciation for the environment in which our favorite animals live or an awareness of the scientific research involved in conservation and regeneration programs. 

Tokyo Sea Life Park designed by architect Yoshiro Taniguchi is different. You can see how a river works through a vertical cross-section separated by a giant window. It’s a scientific facility that’s used to raise fish, mammals, and birds; and experiment with the cultivation of plants including giant kelp. And, it was designed as a park - a place where people could go for relaxation and recreation and connect to the natural environment. 

The theme was to improve public architecture and environmental culture. Environmental culture - that’s a nice angle? Culture entails a way of thinking, a way of being, a way of interacting with each other. Culture leads to collaborative action. Taniguchi’s design brings the public closer to science, technology, and methods of understanding ecology better, while cultivating an appreciation for marine life and it’s environment. In many ways it’s gone beyond just entertainment; it promotes public interest and introduces ways to practically think about this topic from a more holistic perspective.

For designers to reflect:

Whether designing exhibitions, public spaces, or products, we could ask ourselves: Are we merely entertaining, or is there an opportunity to inspire awareness, enable, empower, and create a bias towards positive action at the same time? How can we design in a way that fosters long-term engagement and responsibility for important topics, rather than just passive admiration?