The Trachea: A Final Embrace
Upon exiting the Lungs, users enter The Trachea, where they will be exhaled out of the space, eventually dispersing into the detox garden located at the top end of the Botanic Gardens.
The final 189m consists of a library that follows the bowed shape of the tunnel, and an installation called Wind Gust.
Wind Gust is a staff operated wagon on 109m narrow-gauge tracks, transporting users (two at a time) through the trachea at a gentle speed. Hidden wind machines blow a consistent set of overhead wind chimes as the wagon passes below, replicating the act of air travelling north of a human windpipe.
Predominantly, The Trachea’s secondary purpose is a fast track to the outdoors. Most of the detox activities take place within the detox garden.
The Library
The 22-metre tunnel library takes users through a
gravitational pull of warm light and books, creating
the sensation of traveling through a literary event
horizon. This knowledge hub is a permanent part of The
Trachea, acting as a cosmic threshold to the outside
world while providing stillness for active users. Timber,
glass spherical lights and a mirrored floor are the main
material choices, with the tunnel’s bowed shape and
the play of light across its textured ridges commanding
attention as the main design element.
As the user journey's through the final
stages of the full detox, light appears at the end of the
Trachea’s exit point. The user is given a sachet of seeds
to plant within the detox garden, to allude to personal
growth and new beginnings.
Detox Garden
Following Carl Jung’s theory of Synchronicity, the Detox Garden runs far deeper than a pursuit of happiness. It’s a butterfly landing on your open palm. It’s seeing an angel number and knowing that this is exactly where you are meant to be at this very given moment. The Profound Detox is a final embrace.
Upon entering the outdoors, we are met with a reconstruction of Pear Tree Well, an ancient healing spring that was destroyed in the 1800s due to the construction of the Glasgow Central Railway line. Finally, users will disperse through the grass before disappearing back into the fast-paced urban landscape.
