Museum of Science & Industry - You! The Exhibit

2009
Thinc Design
Chicago, IL

15,000 GSF

Exhibitions

You! The Experience celebrates the human body, mind, and spirit. It features games, artifacts, and self-directed activities that speak to the full human experience – the needs, motivations and drives that contribute to our lifestyle choices and well-being.

The exhibit’s various specimens, monitors, cameras, mirrors, and graphics necessitated a balanced lighting scheme that would harmonize low-level lighting requirements for conservation and electronic media while creating a comfortable environment for viewers.

RDG worked in close collaboration with the exhibit designer to unite these design elements with an adaptable lighting approach. Centered around ‘shelters,’ the exhibit allowed for integration of ambient and minimal accent lighting within the structures, which required less staff maintenance to achieve optimal exhibit lighting. RDG concealed additional accent lighting in the permanent ceiling while the edges of each shelter were trimmed with a continuous LED fixture that defined zones of activity. In each of these areas, the ambient and accent lighting can adapt to the needs of the specific activity or display of the exhibit.