MULTI-SENSORY WAYFINDING 

As a team member of the research and design consultancy MIXdesign Hansel collaborated on MIX’s exploration into the inevitable impact that the coronavirus pandemic will have on public buildings. Looking at the spatial implications of COVID-19 is a natural extension of MIXdesign’s mission to make public spaces safe and accessible for all people, based on studies that demonstrate that the designed environment has a measurable impact on mental and physical health.

 

Multi-sensory Wayfinding augments conventional signage and uses color, materials, lighting and acoustics to differentiate two kinds of legible activity zones —Barrier Free Circulation Paths and Media Microclimates-- clearly differentiated from one another in a way that balances social distancing and human connectivity. Rather than applied as an afterthought, social distancing markers are integrated into the design by treating them as visual cues that are conveyed by abstract floor patterns and alternating color-coded panels applied to restroom doors, lockers and seat cushions.