AIRBUS EXPERIENCE CENTER
Hear the name Airbus, and you might think “French Airplane Company”. You might also think of Boeing. The two aerospace giants have been in a competitive battle for the ages that has shaped the context of each brand inextricably in the history of flight.
Or have they?
Working with brand agency Hornall Anderson, we embraced a mandate to create a branded experience center in the heart of Washington, DC that would challenge existing perceptions and establish a new context for Airbus as a global captain of aerospace that also happens to be deeply invested in manufacturing, partner companies and communities throughout the United States.
OUR MISSION WAS TO REMIND THE WORLD THAT THE SKY CONNECTS US ALL
Upon arrival at the Experience Center, visitors enter a loyalty lounge-inspired reception area with subtle design gestures resembling objects of flight, like the tail section inspired desk shown above.
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
AGENCY CREDITS:
- Mark Buchalter – Experience Director
- Kevi Louis-Johnson – Design Director
- Tim Halloran– Strategy Director
- Ricki Pasinelli – Group Account Director
- Abby Katzman – Senior Producer/Project Manager
- Carly Schlenker – Project Manager
- Brandon Waterman – Senior Designer
- Shirley Hendrickson - Writer
- Magda Beirnat - Photographer
- Katie Polenick – Designer
- Julia Jueckstock – Designer
- Jon Graeff – Senior Designer
- Rob Zwiebel – Senior Designer
- Matt Frickelton –Technology Director
- Frank Hadder – Senior Developer
- Tim Garrison – Senior Developer
- Amy Sigmar – Production Manager
- Jonas Land – Production Designer
ADDITIONAL PARTNERS:
Schema Design - Custom Experience Design
The Glover Park Group - Creative Consultants
VOA Architecture Associates - Architects
Rand Construction - General Contractor
JLL - Project Management
Avidex Industries - Audiovisual Integrators
Xibitz, Inc. - Custom Exhibit Fabrication
Leviathan - Custom Content Design and Coding
Guiding the eye upward, a ceiling oculus offers a bird’s eye view of the earth with simulated flight paths and satellite orbits.
This dramatic, 24-hour time-lapse animation visualizes the story of Airbus Group’s global reach and marks the point of departure for one of three experience paths.
Pivoting doors dramatically open to reveal a giant global interface known as the Airbus Briefing Room
In the Briefing Room, a sweeping 30-foot wall stands in front of a touchscreen table where visitors can intuitively explore featured Airbus Group stories.
Upon selection, a mosaic of frames project onto the adjacent wall using data visualization techniques. The interactive content is easily customized and updated to appeal to the range of audiences.
Beyond a secret opening revealed by a moving wall, visitors encounter a 40-foot-long Fleet Wall. When activated, projected imagery and interactive 3D models animate across the sculpted surface. Leveraging depth, scale and motion, visitors are immersed in a one-of-a-kind look at the breadth of commercial, helicopter, defense and aerospace products.
The Innovation Gallery celebrates the tireless pursuit of Airbus Group, from an engineless glider that can fly at the edge of space to more effective ways of training aircraft pilots. Featuring both analog and digital installations, the museum-like environment prioritizes experience over traditional placards, and opens to a workspace where visitors can partner on future breakthroughs.
Traveling between the showcase and collaborative workspace, visitors walk the Skywalk Corridor. Ten windows line the ceiling, each with high-resolution motion graphics that evolve from the daytime Contrail view which tracks flight patterns, to Galaxy mode with views of satellites orbiting the night sky.
Traveling between the showcase and collaborative workspace, visitors walk the Skywalk Corridor. Ten windows line the ceiling, each with high-resolution motion graphics that evolve from the daytime Contrail view which tracks flight patterns, to Galaxy mode with views of satellites orbiting the night sky.
Agency partner Leviathan produced this video to help convey their role in developing various interactive components of the Airbus Experience Center.