Sunshine Gateway

Sunshine Gateway is an immersive environmental installation designed as a restorative space for individuals impacted by seasonal affective disorder and long winter months. The project simulates warmer climates through color, lighting, texture, and botanical forms to create a temporary sense of seasonal relief. The installation was developed for a public, student-facing audience and included an interactive prompt, “How do you feel today?”, inviting visitors to contribute responses using a hanging note system. The piece also incorporated educational materials on strategies for managing seasonal affective disorder, combining experience design with informational content. The environment was constructed using a mix of fabricated and designed elements, including printed environmental graphics, structural framing, lighting design, and layered physical materials such as plaster, foam, wire, fabric, and artificial flora. Due to spatial constraints during installation within a shared exhibition environment, the original concept was adapted to fit available space while maintaining the core experiential intent.