iExplore More Visitor Center Redesign

Ames Research Center

The Collaborative redesigned the 6,000 square feet NASA Visitor Center located at the entrance to the NASA Ames Research Center. The iExplore More design theme celebrated our sense of wonder and basic human questions that ultimately lead to the answers and knowledge that enriches our lives. Provocative and fun exhibits brought to life questions like those raised by Victor Hugo over a hundred years ago: “Where the telescope ends the microscope begins. Which of the two has the grander view?” Designed with children and adults in mind, more than a dozen interactive exhibits raised questions about the scope and scale of our universe, while showcasing NASA’s contribution to space exploration and scientific discovery. For example, a white cue ball painted with a large question mark sits on the center of a billiard table surrounded by balls painted with spiral galaxies. In another exhibit geared for children, a table of microscopes displays planets and giant nebulae. A caption explains that “the universe is so big that even the largest objects in space are tiny.”

Halibut Point State Park Visitor Center

Massachusetts Department of Conservation

Halibut Point State Park is a conserved, oceanside land located on Cape Ann in the town of Rockport, Massachusetts. The granite that makes up Halibut Point is estimated to be 440 million years old. It was quarried here as early as 1840. The scale of operations grew when the Babson Farm quarry was acquired by the Rockport Granite Company. In 1981, the state purchased 56 acres of land, resulting in the creation of Halibut State Park.

The Collaborative led a project to expand Halibut Point State Park’s visitor center with interior and outdoor exhibits interpreting the site’s history as one of New England’s major granite quarries. The design for interior exhibits allowed park visitors to use pulleys to easily lift granite blocks many times their weight. The outdoor design consisted of a series of “rooms” that each reflected the types of quarrying techniques used until the operation closed in the 1930s.

Aerospace Design, The Art of Engineering

The Art Institute of Chicago

Wind tunnels are large tubes with air moving inside and are used to copy the actions of an object in flight. Researchers use wind tunnels to learn more about how an aircraft will fly. NASA uses wind tunnels to test scale models of aircraft and spacecraft. Some wind tunnels are big enough to hold full-size versions of vehicles. The wind tunnel moves air around an object, making it seem like the object is really flying.

Struck by the similarity between Brancusi’s “Bird in Flight” and NASA’s wind tunnel models, the Collaborative conceived of a national traveling exhibition celebrating the aesthetics of aerospace engineering. Cosponsored by the Art Institute of Chicago and NASA, the show explored how aviation and space flight design has given rise to the streamline idiom that is so prevalent in American culture. Museum venues included: Museum of Flight, Seattle: Pratt Manhattan Gallery, Museum of Idaho; Springfield Museum of Art; Octagon Museum, Washington, D.C. and many more.

Edgarville Airport

Smithsonian Institution

The interactive Edgarville exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution introduces tens of thousands of visitors each month to the exciting changes taking place in air travel. Edgarville is a unique, interactive, immersive exhibit developed by the Collaborative for NASA’s Airspace Systems and the FAA. The objective of Edgarville is to excite and teach the general public by having users explore the cutting-edge developments taking place in support of air travel. The program encourages users to explore an interactive 3D airport environment and go behind the scenes of what is really going on, as well as learn about what changes are on the horizon.

Edgarville has garnered numerous national recognitions including: NASA Turning Goals into Reality (TGIR) Award, Silver and Bronze Telly Awards, Gold Remi Award, Worldfest Houston, Aegis Award, and the Silver AXIOM Award.