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Taylor's University

Subang Jaya, Malaysia

Pavegen and Tribal Planet worked to create a deeper engagement with Cisco’s brand and enhance its reputation in a fun and memorable way at its headline annual event.

We helped engage Cisco’s audience of IT specialists with its Social Impact programme in a lasting and engaging way.

 
Tribal Planet created ‘Network to Light’ – three unique Pavegen installations, app-enabled, designed to capture the footsteps of event attendees. This energy was then to be donated as electricity credits to power schools in Nepal.

 

Via Tribal Planet’s Citizen Earth app and screens, attendees could track their steps and see how much energy they were personally creating, simply by walking over the tiles. Daily winners would be announced via the app leaderboard and screens on-site.

Cisco’s goal was 1 million steps. The installation really caught the imagination of Cisco LIVE audiences,

The team doubled that target, capturing the energy of over 2 million footsteps.

Turning a Staircase into a sustainability experience

Taylor’s University, one of Southeast Asia’s leading institutions for innovation and future-focused learning, wanted to bring sustainability to life in a way students could experience and remember - not just read about. In a high-traffic stairway at the heart of campus, Pavegen created an interactive kinetic walkway that transformed everyday movement into clean energy, real-time data, and an engaging learning moment for thousands of students every day.

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Inspiring The next Generation

The Challenge: Make sustainability tangible and memorable

Universities face increasing pressure to:

  • Demonstrate measurable action on sustainability,

  • Create smart-campus experiences,

  • Build environmental awareness through participation, not passive communication.

Taylor’s University wanted a solution that would:

  • Integrate into an already busy space 

  • Encourage student interaction without interrupting flow

  • Visualise engagement and energy generation in real time

  • Spark meaningful conversations around sustainable behaviour

The question:
How do you turn an ordinary staircase into a catalyst for sustainability awareness and student engagement?

The Approach

Pavegen installed a strip of kinetic tiles at the base of the main staircase - a place where thousands of students and teachers pass daily. This location ensured constant interaction and maximum visibility.

To amplify engagement, the installation included:

  • Kinetic tiles that lit up with each footstep

  • Dynamic lighting along the stair bannister triggered by student movement

  • A real-time data screen showing energy generated, steps taken, and participation impact

  • A frictionless, playful user experience that encouraged repeated interaction

This wasn’t just a walkway - it was a live demonstration of how human energy can drive learning, awareness, and connection.

 

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Results: High Footfall, High Impact

Even without major promotional activity, the installation quickly became one of the most interactive spots on campus.

Key Outcomes

  • Mass participation driven by natural footfall

  • Increased dwell time around the installation

  • High levels of repeated engagement (students testing, retesting, bringing friends)

  • Seamless integration into sustainability curriculum & campus tours

  • Live data used by faculty for lessons on renewable energy and smart systems

As with our installation at Old Spitalfields Market, lighting and real-time data played an essential role in drawing people into the experience.

GAMIFYING
SIEMENS PURPOSE

Pavegen is based in King’s Cross, in the heart of London’s tech revolution. We’re just a few minutes’ walk from King’s Cross and St. Pancras International Stations. Our research and development centre operates in Cambridge, the innovation hub of the country.

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Why it Matters: Participation as a KPI

Similar to our installations at the University of Birmingham and Vanderbilt University, the installation at Taylor’s University demonstrated a simple truth: when sustainability becomes interactive, participation becomes inevitable. Students didn’t just walk across the tiles - they played, experimented, and kept returning to watch the data rise. A simple staircase became a shared moment of curiosity and connection.

This is where Pavegen delivers its deepest value. The technology doesn’t just convert footsteps into clean energy; it transforms everyday movement into emotional connection and behavioural insight. Students feel the impact instantly, and that feeling drives awareness, conversation, and meaningful engagement with sustainability. For universities, this kind of interaction becomes a measurable asset - a participatory experience that supports learning outcomes, enhances the student journey, and brings campus sustainability ambitions to life.

 

Smart Campuses Need Play

As universities evolve into micro–smart cities, the expectations placed on campus environments are shifting. Students want experiences that are not only functional but intuitive, responsive, and aligned with their values

Pavegen supports this transformation and what happened at Taylor's University illustrates this perfectly: a staircase that once blended into the background suddenly became a point of discovery. Motion triggered light, light triggered connection, and connection triggered learning. The experience bridged sustainability, technology, and wellbeing in a way that students could see, feel, and share - proving that the future of smart campuses lies not in passive systems but in playful, human-powered interaction.