top of page

Kanishka Naresh Singh

Le Souffle du Lien

Theme: Community · Nature · Interaction · Multi-Sensory Experience

This project focused on reimagining Square Gustave Roch in Île de Nantes as a calm, inviting urban pocket a place where workers, families, schoolchildren, and church visitors could slow down, reconnect, and breathe. Though developed within a one-week workshop, the process involved deep observation, contextual study, and sensitive spatial thinking.

Group Members:Lucie Fradin, Hanyu Jin, Kanishka Naresh Singh, Yuxin Qiu & Lijun Yu

(01)
Nantes, France
Urban Design
2025

The project began with a close reading of the site, tracing its history and understanding how people currently move through and use the square. Its context revealed a clear rhythm shaped by nearby schools, an active church, surrounding workplaces, and the existing pathways that weave across the space. Through observation, we identified the main user groups : children, parents, senior citizens, workers and church visitors, each interacting with the square differently but all needing small moments of rest or pause.

We also documented the sensory atmosphere, from bird calls and soft conversations to passing cars and the movement of the wind. These sounds showed that the square already had a gentle liveliness that could be strengthened through thoughtful design.

A key insight emerged: parents waiting for their children had no comfortable place to sit, and this often prevented casual interaction. The square lacked simple, calming interventions that could encourage people to pause, connect with one another, and engage more meaningfully with the space.

The project began with a close reading of the site, tracing its history and understanding how people currently move through and use the square. Its context revealed a clear rhythm shaped by nearby schools, an active church, surrounding workplaces, and the existing pathways that weave across the space. Through observation, we identified the main user groups : children, parents, senior citizens, workers and church visitors, each interacting with the square differently but all needing small moments of rest or pause. We also documented the sensory atmosphere, from bird calls and soft conversations to passing cars and the movement of the wind. These sounds showed that the square already had a gentle liveliness that could be strengthened through thoughtful design. A key insight emerged: parents waiting for their children had no comfortable place to sit, and this often prevented casual interaction. The square lacked simple, calming interventions that could encourage people to pause, connect with one another, and engage more meaningfully with the space.

“Attention is the beginning of devotion.”
— Mary Oliver, Upstream

“Attention is the beginning of devotion.” — Mary Oliver, Upstream

The concept developed through a series of brainstorming sessions, using Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotion to understand how feelings could shape spatial experience. Over time, a clear idea emerged: creating moments of connection : between people and nature, between individuals, and within oneself. A moodboard built around playfulness, natural textures, gentle interactions, and multi-sensory elements helped anchor this direction.

The aim was to design an intervention that remained quiet yet noticeable, soft yet engaging, and able to subtly invite people into a more connected experience of the square.

The concept developed through a series of brainstorming sessions, using Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotion to understand how feelings could shape spatial experience. Over time, a clear idea emerged: creating moments of connection : between people and nature, between individuals, and within oneself. A moodboard built around playfulness, natural textures, gentle interactions, and multi-sensory elements helped anchor this direction. The aim was to design an intervention that remained quiet yet noticeable, soft yet engaging, and able to subtly invite people into a more connected experience of the square.

The design intent centered on creating a soft, inviting intervention for the square, expressed through the idea of a “yellow ribbon of pause.” Drawing from the site’s industrial heritage and the theme of connection, we designed a custom urban lounge chair that offered a warm, human-scaled place to rest while subtly reflecting Nantes’ industrial identity. This gesture extended into a flowing yellow path, a gentle ribbon that guides visitors toward small moments of discovery. Along the route, playful wooden elements create points of engagement, while light, movable pieces attached to tree branches sway with the wind, producing soft musical sounds and allowing nature to become an active performer. Through sketches and a detailed physical model, the proposal conveyed a multi-sensory, playful environment designed to encourage people to slow down, notice their surroundings, and reconnect with themselves and the space.

Project Essence
"The redesigned square becomes not just a passage but a moment a place that celebrates slowness, interaction, and the soft dialogue between humans and nature."

bottom of page