Engineering Inc. - January/February 2009 - (Page 22) MuLTI-PrOJeCT FeaTure The Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle immerses audiences in a combination of historical exhibits and interactive technologies. Museum Blends History, Technology PrOJeCT: Wing Luke asian Museum, Seattle FIrM: Sparling, Seattle T he owners of the Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle were determined to give the nearly 100-year-old museum a youthful makeover that featured a hefty dose of 21st-century technology. “They were very interested in creating an immersion type of experience,” says Troy Thrun, executive principal in charge at Sparling, the engineering firm responsible for providing electrical engineering, audiovisual consulting, acoustical engineering and architectural lighting design for the renovation project. “The planners were trying to maintain as much of the old feel and history as possible,” explains Thrun. “The ‘youth’ 22 enGIneerInG InC. component of the owners’ input comes into play in that they also were very interested in a strong technology and audiovisual presence.” Wing Luke, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, reopened at its Chinatown/ International District location in May 2008 after the renovation. The 57,000-square-foot refurbished museum has 18 immersion exhibits, contemporary exhibition halls and spaces, collection and exhibit storage, shop space, offices and meeting spaces. There’s also a library, 60-seat theater, large community hall, recording studio and gift store. Much of the original building was left intact, including its narrow doorways, corridors and small rooms. Windows and doors were repaired and reinstalled, and fir joists were reused as stair treads. The dichotomy of the turn-of-the-century Chinese living space/meeting place and today’s high-technology, information-sharing and dramatic electronic visual experience presented a very real challenge. “It was important to keep the wood structure exposed as part of the historical importance of the facility,” says Thrun. Careful consideration of layout during the design phase and final installation was critical to achieving the makeover while minimizing the impact to the historical feel of the museum. The facility has two significant light wells that not only serve as circulation space between the second-floor galleries, but are themselves an immersion exhibit, Thrun says. “The idea was to create the feeling that the facility was alive with activity from the period.” The existing wood-hung windows that once previously separated the exterior space from the interior living quarters were frosted, and lighting fixtures were designed in special slots above, below Troy Thrun, Sparling and behind the glazing. This technique, along with installed audio sounds of daily residential activity, gives the illusion that the original occupants still reside behind the old wood walls and glass. “The strong sense of history and pride was palpable and transferred to the design team,” Thrun says. “Our design effort attempts to tell the story of the people of the past.” As a result, now that Wing Luke Asian Museum has reopened, it offers visitors the best of both worlds: history with a touch of modernization. January / February 2009
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.