Far sentire il benessere dei luoghi. Progetti di orientamento come esperienza di immersività

Wayfinding is a design field that deals with the orientation and communication of places. By placing a user in relation to the environment in which he or she finds himself or herself, wayfinding therefore designs just such an experience. It provides an experience of cognitive and environmental well-being that we can define as im-mersive: when the project is successful, the user is welcomed and accompanied in his navigation practices, almost without making that cognitive effort. On the contra-ry, immersiveness provides cognitive benefits. Following this theoretical path, we will examine three case studies that we believe offer an immersive navigation experience in the space in which they operate. First of all, a historical case and model for several other projects: the wayfinding of the Metropolitana Milanese, designed in the 1960s by Bob Noorda. Noorda’s design offers to the user a travel experience that is always clear in its information and refer-ences, thus reducing the sense of alienation of the underground space. A very different case is the more recent case of Ruedi Baur’s wayfinding for the Ci-némathèque française. Here, through a system of light projections on the walls, visi-tors are guided in their navigation. In line with the filmic imagery, the design is based entirely on light, offering an experience where physical place and cinemato-graphic spatiality tend to be integrated. Finally, City ID’s Interconnect project in Birmingham. Using digital technologies that connect the territory, the different means of transport and the user, this project proposes an evolution of the travel experience designed by Noorda. Different media are integrated to accompany the traveller in an interactive, fluid and connected ex-perience with the surrounding environment.