B2C Strategy & Design Case

Humboldt Forum& the future of public space

Client:Bohemia Personnel:

Humboldt FoundationMarco de Boer Ramiro AmorenaSilvia Celiberti

Situation!e consortium of Aequo (Aat Vos), Bohemia Amsterdam and van Keulen Bieb Systems was asked to participate in the Limited Design Competition for the Architectural Corporate Design in the Humboldt Forum including Orientation System, Service Furniture, Library and Interior Design.

!e new and rebuild Berliner Stadtschloss will be the center piece of the Museumsinsel (Museum Island). It’ll house the new Library of Berlin, three collections and a conference centre.

!e real challenge is to put these three together and make it future proof.

Target• Frame all functions of the future Humboldt Forum in a

contemporary design.

Target group

• Passengers, tourists, citizens of Berlin and end-users of the Humboldt Forum.

ApproachWith the rise of the Digital Age the necessity of physical repositories is debatable. More and more every book, archive and library is indexed and available on (mobile) screen. !e result is a declining number of visitors, unused and expensive kilometers of bookshelves.

“By the opening of the Forum in 2020, books might be seen as outdated, irrelevant and dusty. We better approach the assignment as the Humboldt Book Museum.”

Core of the conceptLevels of Connection!e visitor of the Humboldt Forum will go through six stages of connection: Notice - Observe - Inspire - Act - Interact - Consume. A diagram shows the triangular relation between the Number of People, the Levels of Connection and the Time Spent. For example: On one side many people will see the building from the outside when passing by. On the other side only few people will consume information staying in the reading room for a whole a#ernoon.

1/6

Core of the conceptOne Building, One SolutionWe propose an overall approach, based on well-defined principles instead of a desire to create a final static physical form. An approach that merges functional elements like information, communication, signing and identity. !e building should stimulate to increase the Level of Connection.

“!e passenger must be seduced to go into the Forum and experience its content.”

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Core of the conceptRich DataInformation in whatever form is to interact. We teach ‘data’ to store personal usage, amount times requested, time looked at. All of this information is available non-stop and without restrictions. You can see which book is lent, which area of the building is densely populated and how many people are at a conference.

3/6

Core of the concept‘Museum of Knowledge’By 2020, books will be rarities. !ey will become examples of how it used to be, an example of history. Costs of production, volume, and paper are simply too high in relation to the profit. Books are behind glass and shielded from the public. !e complete Humboldt University repository is digitally available and levered on screen. You can take home everything on your digital device. You can search the shelves with life-size screens where each visitor has access and will be able to navigate. It’s the Seaworld of Literature.

4/6

Core of the conceptFocus on Masses of Single UsersPersonal preferences determine the usability of the building, the space and its objects. Upon entering, we are recognized through face recognition and addressed in a personal manner. Our presence in combination with our virtual identity helps us find what we seek in every way, always adapted to our personal situation. !e building is the mainframe.

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Core of the concept‘We Like Popularity Guidance.’Here’s the contradiction in our existence: We want to be unique, yet we follow the masses. !is is the central thought for the way the building shows its usage. !e level of usage will be represented in many ways to make it easy for the user to choose favorites or ignore information. We have to guide the users throughout the building with a personal and up-to-date orientation system. It’s in all corridors, passageways, halls and sections. We make it easy to move and guide people actively. Navigation is no longer static information, but a personal message system.

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Visuals!e future of public space

ConceptDra#sDesigns

ConceptSix levels of engagement in public space

ConceptSix levels of engagement in public space

ConceptInformation System & Popularity Guidance

DesignsFlexible LED navigation

DesignsInformation sphere

DesignsInteractive wall

ExhibitionPanels

ExhibitionPanels: Notice & Observe

ExhibitionPanels: Inspire & Act

ExhibitionPanels: Interact & Consume

ResultsWe're happy to announce that we've received the third prize with an honorable mention for this prestigious design competition. !e competition (by invitation) was to blend and design various functions in the newly built Berlin City Palace. !e jury praised our submission for its view on public space and our conceptual approach of the assignment.

All nine entries were exhibited from 10 to 24 september 2012 at the Humboldt Box, Schlossplatz 5, Berlijn (D).

Change now or be changed tomorrow.For more information: Marco de Boer marco@bohemiaamsterdam.com

Bohemia AmsterdamSint Pieterspoortsteeg 23a1012HM Amsterdam, Netherlands+31 [0]20 42 33 555bohemiaamsterdam.com