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NYC Information Center, New York City

Published: 20-Aug-2009

New York Design Practices WXY Architecture and local projects have set a new benchmark in tourist information offices. Technology not only has the gen but also adds color to this sophisticated interior in New York City.

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Key facts

PROJECT: NYC Information Center
DESIGN: WXY Architecture and Urban Design; Local Projects
CLIENT: NYC & Company
SIZE: 6,200 sq m
Cost: Undisclosed
COMPLETION TIME: Three months

Project description

Navigating the tourist trails of the USA’s most populated city can be more than a little daunting, but walk though the pristine glass doors of the newly renovated NYC Information Center and any fears float away on a gently air-conditioned breeze.

Sleek, futuristic, harmoniously designed and perfectly uncluttered, the centre, designed by local practice WXY Architecture and Urban Design, eschews the untidy racks of pamphlets and guidebooks that usually characterize tourist information kiosks in favor of state-of-the-art technology, specially designed and implemented by interactive media company Local Projects.

The centre is owned and run by NYC & Company, the official marketing and tourism organization for the City of New York, whose mission is to ‘spread the dynamic image of New York City around the world’.

The experience centers on five sophisticated ‘map tables’ which look and function a bit like air-hockey games. Visitors use digitized ‘pucks’ to trace routes across electronic maps of the city, creating personalized guidebooks and itineraries.

Table-top colors correspondent to each category of activity – for example, purple for hotels, green for music – are projected from above on to the stretched Barrisol unit tops by ‘digital mirrors’, designed in the shape of an ‘i’ – the universal symbol for information centers.

Having planned their route, visitors have three options: view a three-dimensional map on a giant video wall comprising 16 high definitions, flat-screen monitors; print out a personalised itinerary, or send a digital version to their mobile phone.
For quick searches, four wall-mounted touch-screen monitors link users to the NYC & Company website, nycgo.com, and provide answers in a choice of 10 languages to the top 100 questions asked by visitors.

A simple palette of grey, white and black creates a space that feels beautifully simple and aids clear thought. A subtle, striped effect was created on the floor by alternating grey and white paint, and on the walls by alternating gloss and matt paint.Most of the colour comes from the technology and lighting.

‘Great attention was given to the lighting, saysWXY principal architect ClaireWeisz, ‘and we created an ambient, adaptable and colour-saturated scheme.’ Recessed light coves that run the length of the space infuse the centre with a soft, white light while the various media displays brighten the interior without the use of direct lighting.

Reinterpreting the familiar experience of a visitors centre was ‘a complex challenge’, says Weisz, but by working together, WXY and Local Projects have designed a facility whose simple, pared-down design perfectly complements its interactive and intuitive technology.

Project Suppliers

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