Metropolitan Museum: Elevator Display
New York, NY | May 2009
Small Design Firm was initially engaged to create a master plan for technology in the American Wing. This led to the development of a number of project concepts: Period Room interactives, Elevator display, and the re-design of all printed signs and labels in the new wing.
A central element of the renovation of the American Wing is a striking glass elevator. Four unique visitor experiences are organized around this elevator. They include the Period Rooms tour, the Paintings and Sculpture Galleries, the Courtyard Balconies, and Visible Storage. Small Design Firm developed a series of digital and physical signs in and around this glass elevator to explain these unique experiences and offer visitors a clear way of moving through the space.
Hallway screens outside the elevator use graphic animations, along with images and text, to present visitors with an overview of the wing and how they might move through it. A separate screen gives a more detailed description of the Period Rooms and supporting galleries. Inside the elevator cab, a three dimensional model of the wing moves synchronously with the elevator, giving the visitor an X-ray view into each floor.
A master three-dimensional map was designed to be used on both the physical and digital signage. Axonometric and plan versions of the map are used on physical maps to describe each floor and experiential section. The same axonometric map is used on the digital signs flanking the elevator to describe possible paths through each experience. A persistent table of contents is always visible on the left hand cab screen to aid visitors as they choose which floor to begin on.
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