ME&CITY

A Google search on air pollution mostly returns results linked to Asia, proof of how widespread the problem is in cities like Hong Kong, Beijing or Shanghai.

To raise awareness among internet users on this issue, we designed a site that reacts in real time to the Air Quality Index, the AQI, measured at each visitor's exact location. The higher the level of pollutant particles in the visitor's area, the more the page itself visually fills with clouds of pollution. This mechanic turns an abstract environmental statistic into immediate, personal visual proof. Every visitor literally discovers the air they breathe, without having to consult a single graph or table of figures. This direct translation of a scientific data point into a sensory experience makes the subject instantly understandable, even for an audience unfamiliar with air-quality issues. The site becomes both an awareness tool and an information tool, able to reach a far wider public than a standard environmental report, without ever resorting to a moralising tone.

A site that gives power to people, by making tangible and localised a statistic too often ignored. Every visit leaves a lasting mark on the mind of whoever experiences it, long after the page is closed.