Brenna Pladsen March 18 2013 Science Fair

Massachusetts Mental Health Center Wayfinding

Brenna Pladsen - MMHC Wayfinding

Massachusetts Mental Health Centre Wayfinding

I am using thesis to develop a wayfinding system for the Massachusetts Mental Health Centre in Boston, a public mental health institution. Currently, their new facilities lack any signage. I hope to create and implement a system that defines and delineate specialized spaces in an uniformly comprehensive way regardless of language or literacy.

The main user for the wayfinding system are regular clients who have some familiarity with the space and their destination. They may not, however, have a concrete grasp of the medical or vernacular language to navigate. Through my wayfinding system, I aim to create a common group of references to direc-tion-giving as well as personal memory aids.

Currently, my wayfinding system operates via icons and colour. Major spaces that have heavier traffic are labeled both with the linguistic name but also an icon. Icons are derived primarily from the activity inside that space, secondarily from a symbolic representation, or thirdly from a pre-existing common semiology.

Colour is used to differentiate between floors. The new building disorienting in their uniformity. I’ve assigned each floor a unique colour that will be reflected through the wayfinding on the floor, directories, and, hopefully, through some environmental variables. The colour also incorporates a subtle hierarchy that reflects how each floor is used; the most heavily trafficked floors are more boldly coloured than clinical floors or administrative floors.

I hope to actually implement my project in the space. The system is designed to be cost-effective while shifting the environment from sterile office towards community center while still fulfilling the needs of both clients and staff.

Problem No wayfinding system: no space allocated, no money to implement Main users are multi-lingual and have varying literacy rates Many spaces have technical names that are difficult to remember and pronounce Building has many indistinguishable spaces

SolutionsCreate a system that sits flush to the walls - vinyl cuts Create an iconic system that relies on activity instead of linguistic cues Create a colour system to differentiate floors

Brenna Pladsen - MMHC Wayfinding

1st floor

2nd floor

3rd floor

4th floor

5th floor

6th floor6th floor: Administration Restrooms, Elevator, Stairs

5th floor: Research Research, CRC | Restrooms, Elevator, Stairs

4th floor: Clinical floor Case management, Education Room | Restrooms, Elevator, Stairs

3rd floor: Clinical floor Case management | Restrooms, Elevator, Stairs

2nd floor: Clinical floor & Main Conference Room Case management | Restrooms, Elevator, Stairs

1st floor: WARM Centre & Medical Home Registration desk & Security, Encounter Window & Benefits, Intake & Eligibility, Clinic, Clozapine Clinic, Phlebotomist, Wellness & Medication Clinic, Primary Care clinics / Medical Home | Restrooms, Elevator, Stairs

Building overview - Cutaway

Brenna Pladsen - MMHC Wayfinding Building overview - Floor plans

1st floor: WARM Centre & Medical Home

2nd floor: Clinical floor & Main Conference Room

3rd floor - 6th floor : Various

Brenna Pladsen - MMHC Wayfinding Building overview - Photos

Brenna Pladsen - MMHC Wayfinding Wayfinding application - floor map

Intake & Eligibility

Wellness & Medication Clinic

Restrooms

Decanoate Clinic

Stairs Elevators

Encounter Window & Bene�ts

Phlebotomist

Conference Room

Showers

Clozapine ClinicEncounter Window & Bene�ts1st

floor map for first floor

Brenna Pladsen - MMHC Wayfinding Wayfinding application - in context

Restrooms Showers Stairs Primary Care Clinics & Medical Home

Intake & Eligibility Phlebotomist Wellness & Medication Clinic

Conference Room

Encounter Window & Benefits

Decanoate Clinic Clozapine Clinic

Intake & Eligibility

main key and one main hall patient art used as a main focal point

Brenna Pladsen - MMHC Wayfinding Wayfinding application - in scale

secondary key on far wall

tertiary key at cross-hall

$

$

Brenna Pladsen - MMHC Wayfinding

Computer Room

Case Mangement

Conference Room

stairs

Computer Room

Case Mangement

Conference Room

stairs

Wayfinding application - in context

right side of hall - guideline & labeled icons

left side of hall - icons only

Brenna Pladsen - MMHC Wayfinding

secondary key - back wall secondary key - cross-hall main key - sight line down hall

Brenna Pladsen - MMHC Wayfinding Wayfinding System - Icon Matching Game

Encounter Window & Benefits | | Primary Care clinics | | Decanoate Clinic | | Intake & Eligibility | | Clozapine Clinic | | Phlebotomist | | Wellness & Medication Clinic

Case Management | | Showers | | Conference Room | | Restrooms | | Elevator | | Stairs | | Computer Room | | Commonwealth Research Centre

(Medication administered by injection monthly)

(Medicine administered by injection and requires monitoring in case of side effects)

(blood lab)

(space at MMHC shared between Harvard and Beth Israel Medical Center)

Brenna Pladsen - MMHC Wayfinding Wayfinding System - Icons

Intake & Eligibility

Primary Care Clinic

Restrooms Stairs Elevators

Encounter Window & Benefits

Conference Room

Phlebotomist

Showers

Clozapine Clinic

Wellness & Medication Clinic

Decanoate Clinic

Computer Room

Commonwealth Research Center

Case Management

Research Center

Single-Use Icons

Reoccurring Icons

Franklin Gothic Regular70 pt - main lobby signs50 pt - hallway signs

Memphis Medium at various sizes for floor number 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th

12 pt - floor maps

Brenna Pladsen - MMHC Wayfinding Wayfinding application - type

Brenna Pladsen - MMHC Wayfinding Wayfinding System - Colour

6th floor: Administration

5th floor: Research

4th floor: Clinical floor

3rd floor: Clinical floor

2nd floor: Clinical floor

1st floor: WARM Centre & Medical Home

clinical floors have secondary colours

each floor is assigned a colour

Brenna Pladsen - MMHC Wayfinding Wayfinding System - Colouration

6th floor: Administration

5th floor: Research

4th floor: Clinical floor

3rd floor: Clinical floor

2nd floor: Clinical floor

1st floor: WARM Centre & Medical Home

first colouration full colour with knocked out secondary shapes(used in high trafficked areas: 1st & 5th floors)

second colouration secondary colour fills silhouette, full colour fills

secondary shapes(used in low trafficked areas: 2nd, 3rd, 4th floors)

third colouration full colour secondary shapes with outlined

silhouettes(used in lowest trafficked area: 6th floor)

--

-

Brenna Pladsen - MMHC Wayfinding

Conference Room

Wellness & Medication Center

Wayfinding application - main key - full size

3” x 3”

7.75” x 2”Franklin Gothic Medium 70 pt

1”

1” .5”

.3”

Brenna Pladsen - MMHC Wayfinding Wayfinding application - secondary key - full size

2” x 2”

.5”

Brenna Pladsen - MMHC Wayfinding Progress - Icons

time

most unsure about

CRC shared between

an “inward motion” for Intake and Eligibility

a manila envelope for case study

win

ter brea

k

presen

t

Brenna Pladsen - MMHC Wayfinding Progress - Colour

win

ter brea

k

most unsure about

are very very close