Montgomery Street
WITH ESI DESIGN
Background
Located at one of the busiest intersections in San Francisco’s Financial District, this 43-story tower needed a lobby as bright and dynamic as the tenants that pass through it.
Strategy
We designed a media installation for the lobby that reacts to the movement of passersby, making the space feel spacious and alive. The media is driven by a suite of sensors that tracks visitors as they move through the lobby. As people walk to/from the elevator bays, they become digital paintbrushes, trailing a colored path across the display. As more and more people fill the lobby, the media fills with brushstrokes, becoming more colorful and dynamic.
Rapid Prototyping
The final build necessitated fabrication of custom aluminum extrusions, but getting the right quality of glowing, reflected light came through a process of experimentation. I built and tested many prototypes, including the final full-scale mockup seen here, which was made up of custom 3D printed ribs, paper and cardboard.