Wayfinding
Kunsthalle Praha
Conceptualising, developing and implementing a bespoke wayfinding system for the Kunsthalle Prague within the constraints of it's identity, the building's heritage and the Czech culture.
Introduction
Kunsthalle Praha is a new non-profit cultural space in the
historical Centre of Prague. Located in the converted building
of the former Zenger Electrical Substation, the gallery creates
an international platform for art and culture, an open meeting
point and will offer an extensive programme of the exhibition
and educational projects for a wide audience. With a mission to contribute to a deeper understanding of Czech and international art of the 20th and 21st centuries, Kunsthalle Praha opened their gates to the public in 2022.
Backstory
The transformer substation building in Prague-Klárov was built between 1930 and 1931 by the Electricity Company of the City of Prague. The facility commenced operations in 1932, reducing the voltage from 220V to 110V and converting the current from alternating to direct as required by the tram and trolleybus lines in Prague 6, 7 and part of Prague 1.
The station, built on the site of some demolished barracks in Klárov, was designed by architect Vilém Kvasnička in conservative neo-classicist style so as to harmonise with other buildings in the Lesser Town. However, the technical design of the building and its facilities was on a very advanced level for the period in time.
Understanding the building & people flow
Although the overall structure of the building was in place, it was
under construction and was not ready to take direct reference
from. Therefore, the Kunsthalle team provided Moniteurs with an
extensively detailed Autodesk model of the building. This three
dimensional online model is so accurate to the conceived one that
one could take a virtual walk in it as well as refer to the materials used in the interior design. This was extremely helpful in the conception phase of the wayfinding process, as the practicality, positioning, scale, colour, etc were to be accounted for right from the beginning.
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Design Direction
This direction was directly inspired from the metal strips on the wall. Although these were used for a highly practical reason like structural integrity and earthing for electrical components, certain aesthetic values could be readily observed from the bold monolinear, grid like look.
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Scaling and Proportions
Getting a precise scale to work with, as the building was still under
construction was quite challenging. Approximating dimensions
and referring the 3D model was the most that could be done at
a distance. Starting off by printing the signs in 1:1 gave an upper
edge in visualising a ball park figure for the scale.
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Pre-production Visualisation
Signs were photoshopped onto the screenshots taken from the
Autodesk model. Signs were placed with precise measurements to
depict accurate scale. Human silhouettes were also incorporated for easy interpretation.
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