The world is continuously changing and evolving, and the future of not only design but the way of life is becoming more unknown as time passes. A world where a hierarchy of health statuses controls the way of life, and society is made to travel in 'floating germ pods' or a 'protective skin' might seem frightening to most, but I believe it is a future not far off. This future society is divided off into three statuses, the first being the immune, the second being those who are tested and uninfected, but at risk of infection and the third being the untested and usually infected. It is through these ‘health statuses’ that discrimination and the need for control becomes a major aspect of society. They “develop substantially different behaviours and become economically, demographically and socially homogenous micro-groups” (Institute for the Future, 2020) which eventually turn into a tool that is used to marginalise and hide certain groups.

The ‘germ pods’ and ‘protective skin’ are the designs proposed for this future. Through these designs, it allows the government to have thorough control over each division. The ‘germ pods’ are for those who cannot afford the protective skin (usually health status 2 and 3) and the ‘protective skin’ are for those who can afford it (typically health status 1 and sometimes 2). Even though health status 1 are immune, they are still made to wear the skin as a precaution because the virus is continuously changing and evolving. ‘Germ pods’, which are limited to 1 person per pod, can often feel quite isolating as they do not allow physical touch and closeness, however this method of separation has been proven to keep the disease from spreading and infecting. Everything they use, such as objects or furniture, is sprayed by a mist of disinfectant when entering the pod (as seen in ideation and storyboard). Even though the ‘protective skin’ may look like the person has more freedom to walk around and touch, which they do, the skins can once again feel very claustrophobic at times and the person cannot actually feel anything they touch (also seen in ideation and storyboard).

The message being conveyed through this proposal is that if society continues to head down this road of carelessness and recklessness thinking towards Coronavirus or other health issues, then this is a future that is very much possible. This design was made not only to scare and shock people, but also inform them of the possibilities and designs that may be formed in the future. To most, this design may seem bogus and totally out of the picture, but in fact when thought about, with the discrimination and need for power in our society already, these ‘statuses’ and divisions of people are already happening around the world today, it just isn’t as straightforward as this design. Through this design proposal, I hope that viewers speculate about what their future might look like and what we can do to positively change it to be better.

This design relates to the theory of complex emergency, top-down order. This system is the theory that the leader sets the rules, the pace and the action. That there is one brain controlling the behaviour of the whole group, which is extremely evident in this future where the government seeks total control. It is through the government or ‘leader’ that the health statuses were put in place and therefore originated the creation of the ‘germ pod’ and ‘protective skin’. The leader of this future created a society where they could control the rules, pace and actions of everyone. This design would furthermore relate to dominionistic values which focus on the dominance and control over nature which are apparent in this future. However, it may also relate to naturalistic values because individuals are so isolated in their pods or skins, they don’t really ever get to connect to nature, so anytime they do, it is significantly more meaningful.

This speculative design piece does not relate to the ideas expressed in my manifesto, it is almost the opposite. In this future it is very much about the controlling and isolation of certain groups within society, however in my manifesto, I envision a future where design is inclusive, diverse and free. The ideas of possessing dominance and power over people and the environment through designs and architecture in this design proposal are inherently different to the ideas in my manifesto about the importance of creating a connection with the user to nature and being a part of nature, not separate. My manifesto is about a future which strives to be empathetic and understanding towards users and to continue to evolve and grow positively to create a better future and design.