GoSLO

Founding Director, Beau Avedissian, wins the 2017 Cosentino Architectural competition with GoSLO – a project that spatialises stress relieving strategies.

 

Statement by Beau: “GoSlo provides you the chance to disengage from life’s stresses: you enter and the surrounding ambiance takes you into a state of deep contemplation reducing one’s stress. It is a slow space between the busyness. As we move through this space, we begin to be mindful of ourselves, as we’re taken on a journey deeper into our minds. The climatic atmosphere mimics regional territories, in this way stimulating the impression one is moving through continents (decontexturalisation), a heterotopia traveling experience.

Furthermore, GoSlo has been designed in such a way that accommodates lightness and portability having no fixed structures, thereby allowing itself to slide into the tunnel. GoSlow may then be moved to other tunnel spaces around Australia as required, or for this idea to be transported and multiplied all around the world.

GoSlo takes you to a new place – a special place within our busy lives. It is an architectural space that reactivates the redundant, function-less tunnel spaces that get you from A to B. Primarily found in train stations, like the Devonshire Pedestrian Street Tunnel in Sydney. GoSlo attempts to tackle the increasing social issue of stress (which is causing many health problems), to minimise and reduce stress as one travels through the space.

We work harder, we move faster and we become more stressed, let GoSlo be your rest.

We need time out, even for the smallest moments as it all adds up. We get off the trains, there is this sudden motive to rush, thinking about work, the day, the busy atmosphere leads us to feel overwhelmed and stressed. As we walk into GoSlo it is that ‘smile’ that changes your day, allowing you to leave the stressful train station more relaxed, ready for the day ahead.

If you have a boss, he loves the GoSlo as all his employees are more productive. Would you want to leave work and come home stressed to your family? Don’t worry, take some GoSlo (as it is an healthy drug) to relax and de-stress yourself for home time. GoSLo improves your mental health-allowing you to enter a deeper state of mind a couple times per day.

Let’s travel a bit further into the idea of GoSlo…

It is more than just this slow space between the busyness, or a space of relaxing nature to de-stress. As we move through this space, we begin to be mindful of ourselves, as we’re taken on a journey deeper into our minds – recognising the unrecognisable. This is a space that is separated from the crazyness beyond the walls.

Let’s travel a bit further into the idea of GoSlo…

It is more than just traveling through the space physically, or traveling deeper and deeper into our mind. The space can physically travel. It is designed in such a way that there are no fixed structures, that the structure just slides itself into the tunnel. Designed with lightness and portability in mind, where 5 trucks will be needed to move the space, which furthermore can be moved to other tunnels or spaces around Australia. More so, it is an idea that can be transported and multiplied all around the world.

Lets travel a bit further into the idea of GoSlo…

It is more than just a physical traveling body. It is a climatic atmosphere that allows one to time travel (access different moments within their own mind), time zone travel (traveling to different continents), which fosters decontexturalisation (the sudden change from traveling in one climate to a new different climate), which further fosters this ‘jetlag’ or prolonged moment (when you are still feeling as if you are in the other climate however you aren’t) and finally also allows for one to reach this concept of heterotopia.

The traveling experience.

Come try GoSlo for yourself.”

 

Location: Devonshire Pedestrian Street Tunnel, Sydney, Australia

Client: Cosentino Australia

Year: 2017

Status: Completed

Program: Tunnel Infrastructure, Public Performance Space, Interior Design

Team: Beau Avedissian (lead designer); Cosentino Sydney (tile consultants)