We’re pleased to see Spaceagency featured in The Science of Wayfinding, the new book by wayfinding strategist and Populous Principal Jonathan Mugmon.
The book explores the principles behind how people navigate and experience complex environments, bringing together research, strategy and real-world examples of wayfinding in the built environment.
Spaceagency’s work features in the book across two projects: Oman Across Ages Museum and World Expo 2020 Dubai.
The Oman Across Ages Museum is used to demonstrate how wayfinding can become an integral part of a building’s architectural and spatial identity. The project illustrates an approach where signage, materials, architectural form and cultural narrative work together to create a cohesive visitor experience.
The book also features Spaceagency’s work for World Expo 2020 Dubai, mapping the visitor journey across the Expo site. The illustrated sequence follows the different stages of a visitor’s experience, from planning and arrival, through the destination experience, to departure, showing how different types of information work together to support navigation across a complex environment.
For us, these examples reflect an important part of our approach to wayfinding: information should be considered as part of the wider experience of a place, rather than as an element applied to it afterwards. From architectural integration and materiality to identity, orientation and the practical needs of visitors, wayfinding has the potential to contribute to the character and coherence of an environment.
We’re delighted to have our work included in The Science of Wayfinding and to see these projects contributing to a wider conversation around the role of wayfinding in shaping how people understand and experience the built environment.
Jonathan Mugmon will be presenting The Science of Wayfinding at the Chicago Architecture Center as part of an SEGD Chicago Chapter event, exploring how people find their way through some of the world’s most complex venues.
