Volvo's Whisper

Since the education pattern is shifting to allow kids to have more contact with nature, the author would like to present a vision, in the year 2039, of how Volvo would support the educational trips for kids and how their biophilia could be encouraged by these trips.

Imagining being a kid again was the most delightful part of this project. The author implements creativity in two lines together. On one hand, she collaged natural elements to create an inspiration board, to think about the new possibilities of structure and atmosphere. On the other hand, she abstracted her thoughts and imagination to communicate with children, so that she could get clear feedback and preference from her users, and finally was able to settle the concept. Forms and shapes were developed further during the design and refinement process. Sketches, immediate tests, modeling, and additional researching, and data queries were included along the way.

The final result is the interior concept ‘Volvo’s Whisper’, an autonomous electric minibus, encouraging kids to explore and have fun in nature. It would be 'the tree on the road, the house in nature'. The Interior structure represents the natural unstructured environment. Physical shapes and visual interaction would inspire kids to care about life in nature and also teach them about safety. Instead of just enjoying the gifts from nature, having communication with natural objects might be more inspiring for the kids.