Brief: Design a concept wayfinding package for several scopes within the Estrella Project with the goal to inspire the project's architecture and design teams, based on their initial concept package and structuring (Norman Ai, Bluestone Brothers Development).
Location: The Ohio State University, Downtown Columbus
Constraints: None
Collaboration: Team Project with Abbi VanHoose (4th Year Interior Design) and Jessica Maloney (3rd Year Visual Communications Design)
Introduction
This collaborative studio grouped students from each major of the design department together in teams with the goal to develop a design wayfinding package for the Estrella Project, a multipurpose building being developed for Downtown Columbus. Teams were provided with building blueprints, renderings, and a Revit file as a starting point.
Courtesy of Bluestone Brothers
Program Mapping and Theme Development
My group went through each level of the building and selected several scopes we wanted to address to develop our wayfinding package, addressing the exterior, garage, lobby, amenity level, and residential hallways. Additionally, we developed three unique concept themes that we were interested in applying to the building, each based off the interior design package the building had committed to, titled "The Night Sky." Our winning theme was titled "The North Star," which emphasized the idea of navigation and direction in relation to a fixed point in the sky.
Sketches, Plans, Elevations
This was my first foray into interior design, so it was really fun to learn all the different ways to communicate our design ideas. All of us sketched and developed ideas, chose our favorites after talking with Norman, and then got to visualizing them. In my group, I (industrial) developed the elevations and presentation, Abbi (interior) built the model in Revit, and Jessica (vis comm) tackled the art for the branded walls. I got to work quite a bit in Illustrator and Photoshop for this type of work, which was super fun!
Mini Reviews
The semester was divided into 3 portions: Exterior, Interior, and Final Review. We spent the first third developing an Exteriors package, the second third developing an Interiors package, and the final third compiling and revising everything for our final package. Dispersed throughout the semester were several mini-reviews with jury members from various design and architecture firms in Columbus, providing feedback about what was and wasn't working to help us prepare for the final review.
Final Review
Our final presentation covered our chosen scopes for the project, emphasizing ideas of immersing residents in the night sky while also guiding them directly where they need to be. Overall critiques from the jury were positive, praising our comprehensive presentation and dedication while also getting excited about our attention to detail. We were given notes to create further distinctness between our two interpretations of the North Star concept in our package, as well as lightening up our final renderings.
Summary
This was such an incredible class to take in my senior year of college. I've always been interested in experience design, so to have the opportunity to develop a building with immersion in mind was truly exciting. I learned so much about design development, especially for buildings, as well as how the professional world operates. I'm leaving this project with a greater understanding of project management, receiving and utilizing feedback, creating concise and comprehensive presentations, and developing powerful visuals just for the sake of communication.
Thank you so much to Norman and all of our guest jurors throughout the semester, your insights and feedback truly helped this project become the best version of itself!
"Polaris. You see it? It’s the most important star in the sky.
If you ever get lost, it’ll help you find your way."
- Augustine, The Midnight Sky
