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Cultural facilities, by their very
nature, attract diverse groups of users. Particularly in New York City,
citizens and visitors of all ages, sizes, abilities and cultures use museums,
galleries, zoological gardens, etc. Therefore it is particularly important
to acknowledge this diversity and ensure usability by everyone.
Site Design
Cultural facilities should be easily
accessible from public transit, parking and public pathways. This creates
a good introductory experience for the first time visitor. Since many
of these facilities are attended by tours, there is a need to provide
sufficient space for small or large groups. In some of these facilities,
like zoological gardens, outdoor activities may be the main attraction.
Providing year round comfort and access to outdoor sites is a key design
goal.
Guidelines:
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Figure 4.2a.1.
The corner entrance to the Guggenheim Museum provides its visitors
with convenient access to local transportation including a subway
stop only one block away.
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Locate the main building
entrance in closest proximity to the major points of public access.
This may be a transit stop, a pedestrian pathway or a parking lot.
Study each site to determine the priorities based on expected visitor
volume.
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Figure 4.2a.2. This geological
exhibit is designed so that even the smallest child can see and
feel it.
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Figure 4.2a.3. On busy
urban streets, a zone should be established in front of cultural
facilities to allow unloading and loading.
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Design outdoor attractions so that
people of all statures, whether standing or seated, can have an
unobstructed appreciation of the attraction. Provide more than one
choice.
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Use pathways on the site to enable
pedestrians to anticipate the attractions inside. Windows, small
display cases and signboards with current attractions will provide
an orientation to the building's activities prior to entry and entice
passing pedestrians to visit.
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On large sites, strategically locate
restrooms to be within about a two-minute travel distance from all
locations.
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Provide space and locations for
groups of different numbers to unload from vehicles, assemble and
gather prior to entry.
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Orient and design outdoor activity
spaces to protect people from prevailing winds, hot sun and precipitation.
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| Entrances
The entry to a cultural facility is the
point of main introduction. Most cultural facilities have important transitional
areas through which access is controlled and where ticketing, coat check
and other activities take place.
Guidelines:
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It may be desirable to have two
main entry points (e.g., one for people arriving by vehicle and
one for those arriving on foot or by public transit).
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Figure 4.2a.4. This museum's
seating area provides space for everyone to rest or wait for others.
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Figure 4.2a.5. Crowd control
devices need to be detectable by everyone. These ropes hang so low
that they could pose a trip hazard and are also difficult for some
users with reduced vision to detect by cane.
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Provide space and seating for individuals
who are waiting for others. Such spaces should be in a location
easily detectable from main entries but out of the way of busy traffic.
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In large facilities, provide a
separate waiting space for groups to assemble and queue up. This
space should have some seating for people who need to rest.
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Provide amenities like restrooms,
drinking fountains and public telephones on the public side of the
security perimeter and near waiting spaces.
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If facilities
are provided for night use by the public when the rest of the building
is closed, the entry and exit to that part of the building should
be accessible to everyone
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| Spatial Organization
In cultural facilities, it is very important
to design the building to support wayfinding by new visitors. Not only
is it critical to make the resources in the building easy to find but
also it is just as important to make the locations of amenities like restrooms
intuitively obvious.
Guidelines:
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The main visitor entry should be
detectable from public access ways. This is particularly important
if the institution has more than one building or is situated on
a campus.
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Group amenities like restrooms,
drinking fountains, and telephones together. The groupings will
serve as important landmarks in the building.
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Provide an information desk immediately
inside the entry or in a strategic location in an entry hall.
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Ensure that crowd control devices
are detectable by everyone.
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Signage Systems
Signage systems help support wayfinding
but they should not be depended upon to compensate for a confusing layout.
Cultural institutions have a multi-cultural clientele and often many visitors
cannot read English.
Guidelines:
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Develop a pictogram system to associate
with different parts of the building. This system can be based on
the type of resources a building contains. For example, in zoological
gardens, the system could display silhouettes of animals. But in
a library, it might use images related to the type of literature
in an area.
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Figure 4.2a.6. Multi-slide
shows can augment the audio narration with captions on the electronic
board, displayed above the screens.
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Signs should be in at least two
languages common to the region. English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese,
Korean or Russian may be appropriate in some areas. Internationally
known facilities should have major signs in at least English, Spanish,
French and Japanese. For other languages, alternate language maps
and directories should be provided.
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Use a graphic identity scheme to
distinguish one area from another. This could include color family
differences and/or display graphics like photographs or banners.
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Exhibits and Collections
The resources provided in a cultural
facility (e.g. collections, exhibits, lectures) are the primary attraction.
Thus, these resources should be made as available as possible to reach
the broadest population.
Guidelines:
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Provide alternate media for wayfinding
information, exhibits, presentations and background material using
Braille, audio, text and captions. Audio presentation controls should
be well marked and easy for anyone to activate.
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Figure 4.2a.7. Users
with varying abilities can all experience this multi-sensory,
interactive artwork that encourages hands-on experience and
provides text, Braille and audio instructions for users.
Figure 4.2a.8. This ramp
has walls that provide a convenient resting place. Because the
floor surface slopes, people of different statures can find
a comfortable spot.
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Alternate language descriptive
material should be provided for all major exhibits and presentations.
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The information desk should have
materials available in the alternate media and languages. This may
include audio-guided tours, tactile maps, Braille information and
text scripts of audio presentations.
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Design exhibits to enable all people
to experience them. Where exhibits are interactive, access should
be provided at different heights and with knee clearance if approached
from the front.
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Provide hands on access to some
objects in each exhibit area where it is appropriate. Controls and
devices in such exhibits should be easy to grasp and not require
fine motor control unless absolutely necessary for educational reasons.
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The paths through exhibits should
be spaced to accommodate wider patterns of use (e.g., adults pushing
children in strollers). Avoid dead ends with confined spaces where
wheeled mobility devices cannot be turned around.
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Eliminate deep shadows in exhibits
that block access to content. The placement of lighting and design
of exhibit enclosures are both critical.
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Provide
plenty of resting places within exhibit areas. |
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