IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 56

SCRATCH
PAD | Tk
WHY THIS DESIGN
WORKS |

Breaking Down a Design

The design's
centerpiece-a 1929
aircraft-supports the theme
of mathematics as a tool of
human advancement.

A 3D fabric
canopy
represents
the plane's
airflow.

Concealed
lighting
gives the
canopy an
ethereal glow.

Airflow patterns on the floor create
motion and guide visitors.
Photos by: Luke Hayes

This SCIENCE

MUSEUM exhibits its math skills.

By | Emily Brooks
Mathematics is exciting, accessible, and fundamental to everyday life:
That's the message Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) wanted to send out with
its design for "Mathematics: The Winton Gallery" at the Science Museum
in London, England.
"The museum was very clear in its vision-that it was time to move away
from the idea that mathematics was a concept beyond the grasp of the
average person," says Bidisha Sinha, senior associate, ZHA in London.
The gallery was designed to represent the air that would have flowed
around its centerpiece: a 1929 Handley Page aircraft. The plane serves as a large, tangible
representation of how mathematics solves real-world problems, such as the groundbreaking
aeronautical research that went into the plane's wing design.
A swooping structure of framed violet LED-lit fabric surrounds the aircraft. This
spectacle, based on airflow equations used in the aviation industry, creates "a moment of
pause and wonder as one enters the gallery," Sinha says.
Down below, airflow marks on the floor guide visitors through distinct zones in the
exhibit, each telling a different story of how math has helped shape everything from
architecture to travel to trade. This approach keeps visitors from feeling like they need to
experience the entire thing in one visit.
"Both the curators and design team felt it was important that the visitor should feel free
to explore the gallery at their own pace and over a number of visits, if so required," Sinha says.
" ... The storylines pick up on the floor lines with a key object marking the beginning of the
story. Each story is linear, but the journey between stories does not have to be."

56

perspective

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017

IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017
Contents
From IIDA
Next
World View
Sum of Its Parts
Talk, Talk
Pre/Post
Data Viz
A Common Good
Pop Goes Design
A New School of Thought
Balancing Act
Scratch Pad
Insider Intel
Sound Bytes
IIDA News + Updates
Why This Design Works
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Cover2
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 1
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Contents
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 3
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 4
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - From IIDA
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Next
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 7
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 8
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 9
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 10
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 11
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - World View
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 13
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Sum of Its Parts
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 15
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Talk, Talk
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 17
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Pre/Post
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 19
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Data Viz
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 21
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 22
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 23
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - A Common Good
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 25
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 26
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 27
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 28
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 29
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 30
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 31
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Pop Goes Design
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 33
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 34
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 35
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 36
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 37
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - A New School of Thought
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 39
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 40
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 41
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 42
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 43
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Balancing Act
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 45
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 46
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 47
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Scratch Pad
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 49
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Insider Intel
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 51
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Sound Bytes
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 53
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - IIDA News + Updates
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 55
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Why This Design Works
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Cover3
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2019fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2019summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2019spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2018fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2018summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2018spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2017fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2017springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2016fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2016springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2015fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2015springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2014fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2014springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2013fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2013springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2012fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2012springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2011fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2011springsummer
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com