The Anti-Anxiety Riverbed has a rather large structure as it is big enough for a human to be able to swim around in and relax. The stones and plants along the bottom of the pool are held by a large net which helps the pool take shape, and the net is covered in a cement/plaster mix that has a rectangle shape to prevent water from leaking. The under part of the pool and the pool itself is elevated so the stairs take you up to it. The stone steps are smooth and elegant. The stairs are made of white marble, are very sturdy, and are a great conductor of heat so it works well with the heating system underneath the steps to heat the stairs. The reason for this is to instantly dry the person’s feet as they leave the pool down the steps with wet feet. The cedar bathmat has a similar feature in that it also heats up from a heating tube system. The rocks in the pool are smooth so that they are safe to touch when their bendable light screen is activated. This screen would ideally exist in the future and act as a screen that can adhere to any object and act as a touch screen activated by human touch. It would respond by lighting up with the color of the user’s choice. Located near the pool entry is a control device where the system is manually turned on, and where the user can select the experience they wish. Within this system are sound options of rain, waves crashing on a shore and birds chirping, all generally calming sounds.

The Anti-Anxiety Riverbed is a spa-like experience for a person to interact with when feeling anxious or overwhelmed by the things in life that seem to subconsciously add up when we least expect it. This product is designed to soothe human distress through amenities like light up rocks, water that constantly flows around the body, a constant warm temperature, and optional sounds of nature from surround sound speakers in the pool. The light up rocks are in place to give distractions for the person using the pool, and the water is always at a temperature between 40 and 45 degrees Celsius because this temperature is most beneficial to the human body when trying to relax. One article mentioned how, “The theory is that warm baths increase a person’s core body temperature, helping to strengthen and synchronize his or her circadian rhythms.” The pool itself has a very inviting look with marble steps leading you to the edge of the “riverbed”, and a sponge bathmat underneath a cedar platform for one to stand on before entering the water. This, along with the rocks and assortment of plants gives a spa and forest like feel to it which I thought would be enticing to a customer. As mentioned above, the white marble steps, blue light over the rocks, white ceramic, green plants, and color of cedar are aimed to create a calm and simplistic feeling to not overwhelm the user. The few and lowkey colors are also intended to have a modern feel to the product. Like I mentioned above and in previous descriptions, the blue light is known to be the most calming color, so that is why I chose it to cover the rocks.

The motivation behind all my materials was to create a sturdy and structured product, as well as an aesthetically pleasing and calming product. I chose white marble for the stairs because not only is it known for its natural beauty, but it also evokes a feeling of elegance, and the rock itself is strong. Another benefit of using white marble is, as I mentioned above, it is a great conductor of heat. This aspect of heat leads to my next material/feature which is a hydronic heating tube system. Tubes will line the underneath of the marble steps, and will have hot water pumped through them, resulting in a cozy exit from the tub that eliminates the chance of slipping on the rock. As the user’s feet touch each step, the warmth instantly dries any excess water from the pool. These heating tubes will also be built into the cedar bathmat to keep the user comfortable as they enter and exit the pool. The cedar wood mat itself is also a great conductor of heat and has a very soothing smell of nature to it. As for the vinyl drainage mat that sits on top of, and is tied to, the cedar mat, it functions as a simple drainage mechanism so that water doesn’t pool up where the cedar mat lies. The rope that ties the vinyl mat and cedar mat together does not provide structure or serve a function other than being aesthetically pleasing. I like the look of a vintage rope tying each corner of the vinyl mat down to the cedar mat it lies on. I chose to include river rocks (which could be considered a material) as they are what create the essence of being in nature and swimming/floating in a virtual riverbed. The material that covers each rock is a clear film like screen that adheres to each different rock and lights up blue from being touched (it does not exist in today’s world). A variety of underwater plants like hyacinths, Cabomba, and Posidonia will be assorted throughout the bed between the rocks, contributing to the nature atmosphere. The pool also has a border of white ceramic tiles, to function simply as a border as well as create a clean and simple look.

A lot of my research came from my own imagination and dreams I have had during meditation; however, I did gain useful information and inspiration from several designers, websites and movies. The two websites I got helpful information from in regard to water and its temperature, are listed below...

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-water-makes-you-feel- calm_n_56eaf19be4b09bf44a9ca573https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4049052/

When researching what kind of light is most relaxing to humans, I found under the following site that blue light is in fact the most calming and stress relieving color to people.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171110113936.htm

123

-dinosaur bones light up when you hit them with drumsticks

pictured on ground above

 -influenced my idea of having

rocks that light up, that also function as a distraction from anxiety and stress

2), 3) Pandora from Avatar Movie
- these plants light up when touched by

the people in the movie
-I really liked the idea of objects of nature

come to life through the form of light

-cedarwood is commonly used in saunas as they are great conductors and have a calming smell
of nature
-I chose to use this wood as a heated bathmat because of this

-Green Light Corridor is an experience rather than a handheld object of heat

 -this in itself inspired me to go farther

than making an object, I wanted to create an experience for people

-this heating system allows for heated flooring, that can be applied to stairs as well

-as I mentioned in the above descriptions, this system would function to provide comfort and ensure a nonslip experience when exiting the pool

-this is important to think about for my proposal, and it takes lots of time and effort that I would need to take into account

-the following link shows the full process of installing an above ground pool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_N2UYWHdf8

Sketchup Model

Refined Sketches and Other Visual Information

1.) overall refined sketch (on left)
This sketch shows human interaction with the product/experience. It shows the person standing on the cedar mat at the top of the stirs, relaxing on the water, and engaging with the light up rocks.

    

2.) Detail drawings and visual information (on right)

This sketch shows what happens when someone touches/engages with the rocks in the “riverbed”. The moment the screen over the rock is touched, it is activated, and a blue light is emitted.