Popular Culture Museum
Overview
R&P developed extraordinary concepts to demonstrate the potential of this blockbuster new destination attraction in Washington, DC.
Details
- Client
- Popular Culture Museum
- Project
- Popular Culture Museum Master Plan
- Size
- 30,000 sq. ft.
- Scope
- Exhibit Design, Master Planning
- Location
- Washington D.C., USA
- Year Completed
- 2016
The
Goal
The proposed high-energy, high-tech museum was to create themed and immersive spaces for visitors to explore pop culture’s most iconic music, film, and television personalities and collectibles. The new museum was envisioned to encompass 30,000 square feet of exhibition space within a 50,000 square foot existing building. Temporary and permanent exhibitions would include themes such as contemporary pop culture, popular music, science fiction, fantasy, and an oral history center. It was critical to the client that the architecture and exhibits be experienced by the public as a seamless experience that leaves a lasting and profound impression.
The
Design
The experience concepts developed for this feasibility project were inspired by innovative, technology-focused activities designed to create a dazzling new museum to honor popular culture.
The interactive multimedia experiences explore the use of advanced technologies that would go beyond a typical museum installation. Areas and themes of this Museum were developed to connect closely with industry partners to create new and rotating content. These technologies would integrate with the exhibit design to connect with visitors both pre and post-visit to foster strong and long-lasting connections to the Institution.
As part of a feasibility project to select potential sites and develop experience concepts for the new facility, R&P worked closely with the client and the project architect to shortlist locations and prepare blocking and stacking schematic designs for properties to test the feasibility of each. Once a site was chosen, R&P worked with the architect to prepare a detailed design study for the final, preferred site. The study also included the benchmarking and analysis of vertical museums, pop culture exhibits, museum event spaces, and the reuse of historic buildings.
The
Result
The design proposal and our approach to a visitor-centered development process explored early on in the project were of great appeal to the client and their stakeholders. We developed an approach and understanding of the caliber of design required to meet the expectations of the group, allowing us to carefully vet the potential and the limitations of the sites under consideration.
