Lawn by LAB at Rockwell Group: 2019 Best of Year Winner for Architectural Installation/Pop Up
Enjoying a repast on the grass is a quintessential summertime activity. Even when it happens inside. As the latest big-name firm to produce the National Building Museum’s annual Summer Block Party, the LAB team forming the experience design studio at Rockwell Group, led by Interior Design Hall of Fame member David Rockwell, conceived a verdant grade to engulf the institution’s 29,000-square-foot Great Hall.
The simulation was doubly green, as artificial turf derived from sugarcane and soybeans covered the sloping metal superstructure. In the ticketing area, a pixelated cloudscape of seasonally correct imagery morphed into a mural of the sky, the digital effect mirrored by custom-dyed carpet tile. Across the grounds, picnic blankets and Adirondack chairs encouraged spontaneous lounging. Most conspicuous of these gathering spots: A series of hammocks, suspended 100 feet from the ceiling grid, contained hidden speakers programmed with prerecorded audio of storytellers sharing warm-weather memories. Further auditory engagement was provided in the form of a chirping-cricket and whirring-lawnmower soundscape.
The immersive experience included lemonade and popsicle stands. Guests could even scale scaffolding to the observation deck for never-before-seen views of the hall’s architectural detailing.
Project Team: Melissa Hoffman; Dan Marino; Wayne Fung; David Tracy; Kyle Greenberg; Donna Pallotta; Laura Rankin; Harold Gainer; Ecem Castro; Michelle Sugeng; Tiffany Wu.
> See more from the December/January 2020 issue of Interior Design
