Traffic Flow

Our original exhibit was designed for installation within one large open space. Drastic redesign was needed in order for it to make sense in the space the Diefenbunker Museum had chosen. The concept of a divided exhibit, East & West with a Wall interactive dividing them had to be scrapped. One of the biggest factors in shaping the current exhibit layout was Traffic Flow.

The biggest issue with the space represented above is the single entry/exit point into the 4 rooms. We decided to change the story of the exhibit to a chronological one. This means that once a visitor reaches the end of the exhibit they will have to backtrack through the rooms they have just seen. Less than ideal. For this reason we wanted to end the exhibit with bang. In this case, a private theatre with interactive video, a bench, and headphones.

Guessing the movements of visitors is not always possible, but we have tried to control them somewhat with strategic positioning of display cases and eye-catchers (video, large photographs, models.) One potential problem may be with creating bottlenecks and limiting access to and from each room during periods of high traffic. With this in mind we refrained from putting display cases against certain walls, particularly the East wall in the central room, to accommodate those exiting.