Interactive Nature Conservation Museum
Revisioning the nature center as an interactive nature conservation museum for environmental change
Starting with a unifying theory of “One World, One Ecosystem”, the design team created an open floor plan that grouped exhibits to support the idea of understanding macro systems through the analysis of microsystem. Beginning with an unused 50,000 square foot building adjacent to a major freeway. The Museum Planning LLC team reprogrammed the building as an interactive nature conservation museum with a large glass inclosed facade and atrium. Also added exterior walking paths and science playground area. The project is planned to be delivered “turn-key” museum, fully complete and ready for the public.
How do we take on an issue as important of climate change and make a meaningful impact ? The answer is multifold, first there needs to be an emotional connection between visitor and museum that creates a bond that encourages repeat visitation both online and in-person. Secondly the information is made manageable and actionable, “I can do something”, “I can make innovations that are future oriented”, “this information is mine”. Thirdly the visitors journey through the museum is relevant to the visitor and understanding of the visitor’s perspective.
Opening Date: Planned to open in 2023
Client: Private Foundation
Services: Museum Feasibility Study, Museum Master Planning, Museum Strategic Planning, Building & Landscape Design, Exhibition Design, Owner’s Representation, and Project Management
Project Partners:
Project Budget: $8M, 32,500 building and 8 acre nature park
Museum Social Media:
Download the Nature Conservation Museum, Customer Experience Diagrams
Project Documentation:
Visitor Experience Project Overview
Visitor Experience Project Overview
Logo and Style Guide
Logo and Style Guide
Logo and Style Guide
Sample Graphic Treatment
Sample Graphic Treatment
Project Design Philosophy:
The overall museum is divided in five (5) areas:
- Wildlife Success Stories
- Walk With a Conservationist
- Elements of Conservation
- Legacy of Conservation
- You are the Conservationist
Building Exterior: The exterior of the building is minimal, simple and inviting. The exterior signage is of high tech materials, signage that looks opaque, glows at night and the exterior of the building is activated by projection mapped images that are easily changed by museum staff for special events and seasonal events. Museum resources are spent on the technology that impacts the visitor, the museum becomes a machine for visitor changing behavior. The building entry area includes planters, and outdoor seating.
Building Exterior: Exterior sight lines include a large projection mapped earth suspended in the entrance. The earth projection is a real-time data showing active projects in wildlife conservation and nature conservation worldwide. The constantly changing data is available online, on museum iPads called “Nature Conservations Lens” and through the museum smart phone application. Similar to a twitter feed, the content is live and always changing.
Initial Design Renderings:
Building Site Plan
Museum Lobby: The museum entrance is welcoming and airy, giving the visitor to ‘take it all in” vibe. The lobby includes a small cafe, all sex bathrooms and seating. The ticketing is co-equal, a simple desk serves as ticketing and “check-out” for your “Nature Conservationist Lens” iPad. Also included in the entry area is a museum store.
Museum Building Program: Includes, Museum staff offices, museum exhibit studio, collection storage and a large multi-function room, for events and lectures.
Annual Event: The overall museum is based on a annual conference an award on the conservation innovation.
Museum Exhibit Entrance: The museum visitor experience starts with images of wildlife impacted by climate change and human population increasing, the overall impression is of appreciation of natural beauty.
Wildlife Success Stories
The Conservationists Story: An eight minute video presentation of the history of conservation in the United States.
Interactive Nature Conservation Museum
Interactive Dioramas: Each diorama is an example of an animal at risk success story, the diorama include rear projected imagery on the second surface of the diorama glass
Walk With a Conservationist
Walk With A Conservationist: Visitors are introduced to a conservationist and then taken on a walk and each visitor can earn and lose points as they collect information along their guided walk.
Elements of Conservation
Elements of Conservation: A large central structure follows a layout of sun, soil, rain, and nutrients that form habitats.
Decision Machine: Four players enter basic information and are given a “composite” of their beliefs. That composite is then shown in a three dimensional bar graph and each of the four visitors is lead through a game playing scenario.
Science Playground: Using full body kinesthetic exercises, younger visitors can participate in earth science experiments including hydraulics, vortex, solid, liquid and gaseous.
Murmuration Sculpture
Innovation / Kids Area: Using Design Thinking and Systems Thinking, visitors can participate in guided activities using 3D printing, laser cutting and Arduino and Raspberry Pi.
Aquarium: More than an aquarium, it is a microcosm of an ecosystem. The aquarium and the touch tank work together to move from tacti to didactic.
Digital Sand: A large box of sand has a projection, as you make streams, lakes and mountains you can see the topographies of the areas change.
Legacy of Conservation
What If: We all live in a world of obstacles, through the use of basic Design Thinking exercises visitors are lead through a group activity of “What If?” a rethinking city planning, transportation, food production and human habitats.
Interactive Nature Conservation Museum
You are the Conservationist
Legacy of Conservation: John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot, Charles Darwin, Charles Waterton, all come to life in full size animated monoliths.
Conservation Platform: The Museum has developed their own Conservation Platform in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund WWF Standards
Animal In You: Standing in front of an 84” monitor visitors select the animal they would like to better understand. The visitors arms and legs become the hands and legs of the animal selected, while being the animal visitors go through serval scenarios to better understand the issues related to their selected animal.
Overhead Sculpture
Historic Photographs
Collection of Natural History
Bugs, Birds, Leaves, Trees, Moss, Grass
Green Zone: Outdoor interactive nature park including a skateboard park, telescope, sculpture park with projection mapping, projection mapping on building, science playground, water play zone, and greenhouse.
Entrance to Greenzone
Skateboard Park and Multipurpose Area Entrance
Greenzone: Lily pond
Greenzone: Lily Pond
Greenzone: Spherical Greenhouse
Interactive projection mapping sculpture
Greenzone: Spherical Greenhouse
Greenzone: Spherical Greenhouse
Museum Exterior at night, with projection mapping moving images will include wildlife images and promotion of museum programming
Museum Exterior at Night, with projection mapping
Museum Exterior at night, with projection mapping
Audience Segment, “Dislike the Outdoors”
Audience Segment, “Dislike the Outdoors”
Existing Building
Add:
- Sample Graphics
- Exhibit List
- Persona
- Business Canvas
- Unique Selling Proposition
- Write Up Feasibility
- Value Proposition Canvas
- Museum Stakeholder Analysis
- Museum Touchpoint Matrix
- Content Map
- Empathy Map
- Journey Map
- Storyboard
- Bubble Diagram
- Mood Board
- Umbrella Concept
Related Projects:
- C.O. Polk Interactive Museum, McDonough, Georgia
- Tech Museum of Innovation, San Jose, California
- MIDE, Mexico City
Please contact me if you are interested in a ”turn-key” museum solution for your community.