CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
COREEN BECIA ARCH 510 . Fall 2011
DESIGN MANUAL
EXPLORATION readings/writings . abstract . installation DEFINITION program precedents . material precedents ANALYSIS site conditions . program analysis DESIGN program brownsheet . project timeline SUMMARY project goals . competition . overview
PERCEPTION
OPERATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DISCUSSING ISSUES
EXPLORATION readings/writings . abstract . installation
“If you really want to under- Modernity stand a culture, don’t look to the things people argue about but, instead, try to understand the things they take for granted” -Prof. Lawrence Lessig Massiive Change ; p. 70
In my graduate thesis project, a children’s center or museum, an emphasis on ‘learning through doing’ seems relevant. Children often see and understand the world through the senses; they want to touch an object, put it in their mouth, see the contrasting color, or hear directly the sound it is making. Investigating the implementation of different moral techniques such as description through color or the breakdown and structure of textures, as each relates to differing emotions, comfort levels, or learning and excitement, could allow for a further layering of information. For example, an exhibit could use color to convey different emotions for visitors to decode. These things could be abstracted in a similar way that Modern art abstracts concepts or events, leaving learning and personal interpretation open-ended. Adding these moral techniques within both the process and final product of design would add facets of
information to help a concept grow and gain complexity.
Time
Today, evidence is coming out linking the speed of instant gratification to changing learning habits in today’s young adults and children. They are becoming accustomed to seeing vast amounts of information at one time, all of which are just glimpses into a variety of subjects rather than valuable comprehensive studies. When you remove the technologies that enable this pace to occur, young people and others often feel lost and disconnected to their peers, unable to reach themsuperficially at every second. Research can be done to discover new ways of teaching and learning that both acknowledge this instant-gratification method of processing information and explore avenues of adapting it in ways that allow children to better filter through the fluff and discover the critical concepts worth retaining. For example, one could
look into ways that environments providing a high degree of stimulation to the senses affect learning, or different methods of learning and teaching that become more effective within these environments. This accelerated pace of society is changing the way humans interact and live; our environments, especially those catering to the youngest, most impressionable generations, must adapt to these changes in order to continue to provide healthy and productive habitats for learning and social interaction.
Space
Programs like a children’s museum are given a prime opportunity to experiment with ways in which an environment affects or engages its younger populations. Kids are often very interested and intrigued by elements of our built environment that an adult pays little or no attention to. This may stem from a child’s constant process of scaling down environments that were built according to the proportions of adults much larger than themselves. This difference in perception has been felt by anyone who has visited a room as a child, thinking it was infinite, only to return to a small, unremarkable space when they are much older. Or vice versa, the cramped closet under the stairs at one point felt cozy and comfortable, providing a “secret” hideaway that was just the right size. Engagement of environments encourages various means of social and intellectual learning that can be key to human development, but with current technologies, children can choose to engage in virtual environments instead, consequently
missing many of the interactive benefits. A children’s museum should seek out ways to recapture individuals’ attention to their surroundings. This could be done in a variety of ways. Maybe the material quality of the floor changes from something hard like concrete into something pliable, like soft rubber, causing one’s weight to shift. Or the lighting in a hallway could brighten or dim as a person walked through it, allowing further interaction and attention. Scales of doorframes or openings could be made larger or smaller to accentuate the transition from room to room. By implementing these strategies to highlight unique qualities in our surroundings, the museum could make a conscious statement that living in one’s present surroundings still remains relevant and beneficial.
Form & Content
A 2006 Dutch Coca-Cola ad displays various strategies for visual language that correlate very well with my graduate thesis project. The visual language of a Children’s Museum could also be conveyed by picking an object or process, like the vending machine, that is in reality very simple, and abstract it, giving a whimsical explanation for the way it works. For example, I could display a camera, or a microwave, (two objects whose processes can be explained easily through fact), and depict their processes of capturing an image or cooking food in a manner less factual, but maybe equally plausible in a child’s mind. I have heard the saying that a child comes up with one thousand solutions for every problem, while an adult only thinks of one. To a
child, the camera could capture an image through the use of mirrors, light, and film, or a small character could be painting the picture you see through the lens onto a tiny canvas. Whether through film, pictures, or a physical modeled piece, these ideas of whimsical processes, imagination, and creativity could be conveyed through visual manipulation of everyday objects. By taking advantage of adults’ tendencies to be inattentive to simple mechanical processes, I can display to them a more imaginative way of explaining the world around them, unlocking that childhood creativity.
Massive Change
A parallel can be drawn between the restrictions placed on innovation by copyright laws, and the restrictions placed on creativity by societal perceptions. For example, the inventor of a cup may have intended it to be used as a temporary receptacle for holding a drink, yet maybe the form is also suitable for use as a planter or a hat. Alas, no; our society states that a cup is for drinking. Slowly but surely children learn to dispose of alternative, creative ideas for objects in favor of that object’s original intended use. That creative knack for innovation found ever-present in young peoples’ minds becomes stifled to a point where it becomes difficult to access. By taking everyday objects and Wplacing them in alternative use settings, people may once again realize that a cup could be more than a drink holder. Individuals may relive the liberation of childhood creativity, revealing its importance in our living and learning processes.
WHAT IS A CUP?
The exploration through this installation was intended to inform potential issues and design intentions pertinent to the creation of a Children’s Museum. By looking into the way children perceive and interact with the world, learning environments can adapt to better fit their developing needs. Additionally, interviews conducted with two University of Idaho professors of Psychology with backgrounds in Early Childhood Development,
EXPLORATION readings/writings . abstract . installation
“ An open-minded approach to problem solving is often natural for children because they lack complex cognitive, problemsolving skil s as well as life experiences. . .” -Prof. Jaime Nekich
Jaime Nekich and Benjamin Barton, helped provide insight and information regarding young children’s brains, how they learn, and why they play pretend. As humans grow, they experience a change in perceptions of space as a result of increased learning, cognition, and experience. Often, this change results in a shift from the whimsical, imaginative world common to many children’s brains into a more rational and linear view. An open-minded approach to problem solving is often natural for children because they lack complex cognitive, problem-solving skills as well as life experiences. As a result, children will often apply a trial and error, concrete method to figure out a solution; if you don’t know if something works or how it works, try it out. In this way, many potential “solutions” are explored for any given problem, even if the majority do not end up being successful. Therefore, a child may eventually find out the intended use of an object through instruction or trail-and-error, but may first use
that object for a variety of other things in the process. My installation will attempt to convey these differences in perception by overlaying a fanciful lens upon one every day, banal object: a plastic cup. Various images will depict this cup performing a variety of tasks other than its predominant one as a drinking device. These images will thereby create a visual interpretation of potential results of the trial and error process used to understand a cup. Thus, observers of the gallery can see that even the everyday objects in our world may be viewed in a plethora of ways, inciting creative solutions to the problems we face, and reinforcing the idea that creativity may be learned and explored at any age, you just have to work at it.
Bahrain Children’s Museum
PRECEDENTS
DEFINITION program precedents . material precedents
These graphics illustrate plans for the future Bahrain Children’s Museum. Like many Children’s Museums, the plan is organized around a central orientation zone, located at the front entry of the building, that links exhibit spaces, multi-purpose rooms, and central circulation paths for public visitors. The building’s facade was developed through experimentation with folding and cutting paper chain crafts, which are common childhood activities. Implementation of natural lighting within the building’s interior allows for a more open atmosphere that connects to the exterior context. Color is used to further facilitate wayfinding and organization of museum spaces, and a predominately white facade is used to represent both the purity of a childhood mind, and an idea of a “blank slate” to inscribe new ideas upon.
ORIENTATION SPACE
EXTERIOR VIEW
Exploratorium; San Fran, CA
PRECEDENTS
SECOND FLOOR
DEFINITION program precedents . material precedents
The Exploratorium is located in San Francisco, California. It is one of the oldest children’s museums in existence, and is wellknown for developing a hands-on learning approach. This museum also has a central orientation space that functions dually as a wide circulation avenue. This orientation space also bleeds into the exhibit spaces that make up the majority of the floorplan. Additionally, the Exploratorium has an in-house exhibit construction and testing area where exhibits are designed and repaired. This element of the program was unique to the Exploratorium when first built, but recently other Children’s Museums have been adding exhibit design spaces to their programs.
FIRST FLOOR
CAFE
SKYLIGHTS
EXHIBIT WORKSHOP
ORIENTAITON SPACE
The Exploratorium is housed in a former warehouse, allowing for a large, open floorplan that is split into structural bays. Large skylights allow for natural lighting into the exhibit spaces, but dark interior finishes and a lack of other windows make it necessary for artificial lighting to remain on at all times. Additionally, when inside the museum, the flow of exhibits feels somewhat unorganized. There is little effort to define spaces based on the category of exhibits one is experiencing and therefore hard to connect the knowledge learned from one exhibit to the next. Also, there are few spaces for parents to sit and observe children from a distance while the kids play, making the museum experience potentially exhausting.
Materiality & Wayfinding
PRECEDENTS
DEFINITION program precedents . material precedents
The idea of reusing materials relates well the the design of this Children’s Museum, tying in concepts originally developed within the art installation at the start of the semester. By re-using objects like recycled wood, washing mashing doors, and books, whimsical environments may be created our of these materials that expand our definitions of what these things can represent, as well as promote sustainable building practices. Interactive facades can also be used to encourage learning and participation among visitors.
INTERACTIVE FACADE
MATERIAL PRECEDENTS
WAYFINDING
Additionally, wayfinding through symbols and color remains key to the design of a children’s museum as much of the clientel is unable to read.
CURCULATION
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Boise, ID
SITE CONDITIONS
WINTER SUN
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FRONT
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JEFFERSON
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PRODUCTION 67 38 !64 WELL INJECTION WELL ! 39
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EXISTING BUILDINGS ON GEOTHERMAL POWER
FRANKLIN
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Located just outside of downtown Boise’s central urban core, this currently undeveloped site stands adjacent to a major public park, Julia Davis, which houses the city’s main museum core in which the Art, Natural History, Black History, and Zoo are located. Additionally, the main public library branch, Anne Frank memorial, public greenbelt pathway, and Boise State University stand nearby. Opportunities for consolidated urban parking, connection to natural geothermal power, heightened public exposure, and easy transportation access make this site highly desireable for a Children’s Museum location.
RE
ANALYSIS site conditions . program analysis
FERGU
PARK
CULTURAL CONTEXT
DOWNTOWN CORE
BOISE PUBLIC LIBRARY
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
SPRING/SUMMER WINDS
STATE COURTHOUSE FALL/WINTER WINDS
ART MUSEUM OUTDOOR BANDSHELL
DISCOVERY SCIENCE CENTER
JULIA DAVIS PARK
SITEVIEW #3
WIND VIEW#3
SE down Broadway Ave
VIEW #1 VIEW #2
BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY Key P1P2P3-
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Parking Overlay Z
PARKING
(Effective 8/28/06)
VIEW#2
NE down Myrtle St
VIEW#1
NW temporary buildings
Boise, ID
SITE CONDITIONS
ANALYSIS site conditions . program analysis
The site area is zoned as Residential Office. A Winco Foods is located in the same zoning plot. A Children’s Museum is classified as a Social Center under the City of Boise Zoning code and is permitted in the Residential Office plot, but must be approved by a commision. The R-0 Zone is intended to provide for higher density residential and office uses with an emphasis on high quality urban design and pedestrian orientation. The building must be setback 20 feet from both streets, and parking must be setback 10 feet.
PARK
BRIDGE
MUSEUM
SITE SECTION-PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE
WIND
DOWNTOWN BOISE ZONING MAP
BOISE CENSUS DATA •Population: 205,671 •Population growth (2000-2010): 10.7% •Persons under age 5: 6.4% •Persons under age 18: 22.7% •Persons per household: 2.36
MUSEUM SHOP
TICKET BOOTH
EXHIBIT SPACE
SPATIAL ADJACENCIES
LOBBY COAT CHECK
INFO
HEART SPACE (ORIENTATION)
THEATER
EXHIBIT SPACE
EXHIBIT SPACE
EXHIBIT SPACE
CAFE PUBLIC BATHROOM
ANALYSIS site conditions . program analysis
There are various important spatial adjacencies to consider when planning a Children’s Museum. Firstly, the lobby space must be front and center, with an intruiging view to the interior of the museum. Secondly, it is beneficial to have a “heart space” for wayfinding and circulation throughout the exhibits. This space can house experiments as well, but mainly works to orient visitors who are constantly traversing from room to room. Group spaces such as the theater, cafe, and museum shop benefit from a central orientation, and the shop should be located to catch potential buyers on their way out. Finally, administrative spaces should be separate from the public areas for privacy and security.
EXHIBIT SPACE
ADMIN SUPPORT ADMINISTRATION
EXIT
ENTRY
EXHIBIT SPACE
EXHIBIT SPACE
EXHIBIT SPACE
LOBBY COAT CHECK
INFO
MUSEUM SHOP
TICKET BOOTH
MUSEUM SHOP
TICKET BOOTH
HEART SPACE
EXHIBIT SPACE
COAT CHECK
EXHIBIT SPACE
INFO
HEART SPACE (ORIENTATION)
EXHIBIT SPACE
(ORIENTATION) THEATER
CAFE
EXHIBIT SPACE
PUBLIC BATHROOM
THEATER ADMIN SUPPORT
ADMINISTRATION
EXHIBIT SPACE
LOBBY
CAFE
EXHIBIT SPACE
EXHIBIT SPACE
PUBLIC BATHROOM
ADMIN SUPPORT
ADMINISTRATION
PUBLIC SPACES MUSEUM SHOP
TICKET BOOTH
EXHIBIT SPACE
EXHIBIT SPACE
EXHIBIT SPACE
HEART SPACE INFO (ORIENTATION)
THEATER
EXHIBIT SPACE
CAFE
COAT CHECK
EXHIBIT SPACE
EXHIBIT SPACE
PUBLIC BATHROOM
EXHIBIT SPACE
LOBBY
LOBBY COAT CHECK
MUSEUM SHOP
TICKET BOOTH
INFO
HEART SPACE (ORIENTATION)
THEATER ADMIN SUPPORT
EXHIBIT SPACE
CAFE
EXHIBIT SPACE
EXHIBIT SPACE
PUBLIC BATHROOM
ADMIN SUPPORT
ADMINISTRATION
ADMINISTRATION
PRIVATE
MIXED PUBLIC & PRIVATE MUSEUM SHOP
TICKET BOOTH
EXHIBIT SPACE
EXHIBIT SPACE
LOBBY COAT CHECK
INFO
HEART SPACE (ORIENTATION)
THEATER
EXHIBIT SPACE
CAFE
EXHIBIT SPACE
EXHIBIT SPACE
PUBLIC BATHROOM
ADMIN SUPPORT
ADMINISTRATION
Overlapping spaces between exhibits have potential to create engaging and interesting environments that combine two areas of study. For example, one exhibit space could focus on social science experiments while another focuses on biological experiments. In the overlapping areas, other experiments that combine the two fields could be placed to encourage interdisciplinary learning.
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PROGRAM BROWNSHEET
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store
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DESIGN program brownsheet . project timeline 1 Exhibit Spaces: 18,000 sq. ft. 2 Exhibit Preparation: 3,000 sq. ft. 3 Cafe: 1,000 sq. ft. 4 Theater/Auditorium: 3,000 sq. ft. 5 Museum Store: 1,500 sq. ft. 6 Administration: 4,000 sq. ft. 7 Staff Support 2,000 sq. ft. 8 Coat Room: 800 sq. ft. 9 Lobby/Info Desk: 650 sq. ft.
10 Multi-purpose Room: 900 sq. ft. 11 Restrooms: 950 sq. ft. 12 Outdoor Exhibit: 2,500 sq. ft. 13 Storage: 3,000 sq. ft. 14 Circulation (@ 20%): 8,260 sq. ft.
TOTAL: 49,560 sq. ft. SITE AREA: 78,000 sq. ft.
(Jan. 12-31) Week 1-3:
(Mar. 11-24) Week 10-11:
Schematic design & Spatial configuration with the site; Concept development, Plan development. PRODUCTION: abstract model explorations to address form, plans and sections development
Facade & Structure detailing PRODUCTION: detail connection exploration with regard to material and efficient steel connections
(Feb. 1-18) Week 4-6: Floorplans, Sections & Perspectives PRODUCTION: abstract model explorations to address form
Further development PRODUCTION: refine & make changes based on feedback from Mid-crit, complete digital model and begin final board renderings
(Feb. 19-Mar. 3) Week 7-8:
(Apr. 8-21) Week 14-15:
Begin Materiality & Facade development PRODUCTION: photoshop collage exercizes to experiment with juxtaposition of re-used & recycled materials against one another
Begin final graphics, board layout PRODUCTION: refine perspectives and other board graphics; revisit initial diagramming exercises for display on boards
(Mar. 4-10) Week 9:
Thesis Presentations PRODUCTION: Set up presentation and art installation
Prepare for & Mid-crit presentations PRODUCTION: begin refinement of structural system explorations
(Mar. 25-Apr.7) Week 12-13:
(Apr. 23-27) Week 16: (Semester Remainder): PRODUCTION: Compile Work into Design booklet & submit
DESIGN TIMELINE
•Could be done through exaggeration • Provide an interactive learning environment for children that houses a va- of color, scale, texture to enhance feelings of whimsy riety of focuses including: art, science, technology, and social interaction
DESIGN GOALS
•Provide a central focus on sustainability and ideas of adaptive re-use through material quality of the building, siting, and interactive exhibits. •Provides the visitors to see new forms and functions that old things may take •Allow for an environment of learning for adults as well as children; allow adults to step back into a child’s world
SUMMARY project goals . competition . overview
This project will be entered into the ACSA Steel Design Competition upon completion.