As mentioned earlier, I am really inspired by the use of space at the Exploratorium and the California Academy of Sciences. Observing their site layouts has served as inspiration for my own exhibition center. I like the idea of having large open spaces, where there are not lot of interior partitions, but plenty of daylight. In effect, that means less traditional hallways, aside from the office space area. Another inspiration I am taking from the two museums is the idea of wayfinding, where you can easily identify where you are at via a structure or distinguishable geographical feature. Without a map, if I’m in exhibit 1, I’ll be able to tell. Same goes for every other exhibit.
What this means is that I would like to prioritize visibility—remove as many walls as possible and make it easy for people to quickly view where they’re at at whereever they are in the exhibition center. Tall ceilings will be a must.
Inspiration 1: Exploratorium Site Layout
Inspiration 2: California Academy of Sciences Site Layout
For my site layout, I wanted to replicate somewhat of the same, with the interior focused on the exhibits, and then the exteriors are where the other rooms will be. Daylighting will be key for my site layout, so I wanted to ensure that an atrium was at the center of each of the building sections for my building.
I made an adjustment to my floor plan though. Instead of 3 floors, I am limiting my exhibition center to two floors only. To meet the <35,000 square foot requirement, I felt like I wanted to prioritize use of horizontal floor space rather than have additional floors.
