NYC CHILDRENS MUSEUM OF THE ARTS - PARSONS DESIGN WORKSHOP - Spring 2017 - Studio Professors: Nick Brinen, Mark Gardner - Ethnographic Consultant: Dr. Sharon Sutton
M.ARCH STUDENT TEAM: Gisbel Videla, Jonathan Midgett, Valeria Martinez, Leela Shanker, Robert Edsall, Kanat Derbissalinov, Alexis Chagaris, Andrew Steiner, Amanda Rinaldi, Angela DeGeorge
The goal of this ten student graduate studio was to create a functional lobby that celebrates a child’s sense of discovery and wonder. The project reorganizes the space to accommodate the diverse and changing needs of the Museum’s programs for children and rotating art exhibitions. In the 1,200 square foot lobby, the goal was to maximize the amount of storage that the museum and its guests desperately needed, while creating an open, inviting and attractive space. Along with performative challenges such as acoustics and layout, we took special consideration to design a memorable experience for the children and guests.
Upon entering, guests are immediately greeted at the front desk by staff. The new visitor services desk, branded with the identity of the museum and scaled to serve both children and adults, greets and appropriately directs visitors as they enter. While parents handle the check-in process, the open lobby allows the children to play in the colorful light projecting on the floor from the windows, discover color along the feature wall, or dance in front of an interactive art piece by Danny Rosen. The new feature wall creates a threshold between the functional space (stroller storage) and the gathering space for the museum’s community. The feature wall is a luminous object, animating the space with colored light and pattern. In addition, an installation suspended from the ceiling along the street facade interacts with daylight to project bouncing shards of color across the space throughout the day.