PROJECT HIGHLIGHT

NASA Glenn Research Center

Sky-high inspiration.

Cleveland NASA campus adds research building befitting exploration, collaboration.

Dramatic yet subtle Amplify custom window films display inspiring messaging and dramatic NASA technology imagery.

When the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, was planning a new addition to its campus, they had several goals in mind. They wanted a design that would cultivate creative collaboration. They wanted a space that would connect the indoors to the outdoors. And they wanted a facility that would echo the genius and enormity of space exploration.

Graphic-driven window films add subtle visual interest and distinguish certain offices in the new building.

Designed by Ten Arquitectos with ASA, and Bialosky Cleveland, and built by The Walsh Group, the new two-story Research Support Building, or RSB, features glass and corrugated metal around a spacious 64,000 square-foot floor plan and is home to about 160 employees. It includes open and private offices, conference and training rooms, specialized engineering rooms, and a cafeteria.

Room IDs, workstation IDs, and code signage have a clean, white, minimalist look to complement the space.

NASA, a long-time Takeform client, brought in the firm to create graphics small and large—very large—that would reflect the space agency's history of innovation and adventure. While the assignment included typical elements such as workstation IDs and room IDs, there were two signature elements that stood out from the rest.

Soaring to new heights.

Two of the most eye-catching graphic elements in the new space: graphic treatments for the feature walls in a pair of 37-foot high collaboration rooms. For each room, NASA designers envisioned a photo collage of their technological achievements. One room's wall graphic highlights aeronautics designed to operate within our atmosphere. The other features aerospace technology that operates beyond our atmosphere. Takeform worked with NASA and Andrea Steele Architecture to bring the vision to life.

Two rooms in the building feature 37-foot-high walls adorned with NASA technology photography displayed via Takeform's Amplify custom wallcovering.

"ASA was great to work with," says Megan Davenport, Takeform project coordinator. "They had strong opinions on the designs and keeping things clean. They were integral to all the designs within the building. They had a big part in reviewing our package."

Illuminated by skylights, the towering technology imagery is visible through windowed balconies, offering a source of inspiration near and far.

NASA's extensive range of technical breakthroughs pop from the wall thanks to saturated color and simulated drop shadows.

"ASA was great to work with, they had strong opinions on the design and keeping things clean."

- Megan Davenport, Project Coordinator, Takeform

Welcome to the matrix.

The other standout element of the building is a privacy film concept: a matrix of crossword-puzzle-style keywords and phrases applied to the glass panels throughout the numerous meeting and collaboration rooms. As the graphic motif moves through different areas, the keywords and phrases shift to reflect a range of topics related to NASA departments and accomplishments.

For instance, an area titled "Notable Women" features the names of women who've contributed to NASA project through the years. "Each department chose the words and subjects that would go on their wall to reflect what their department means to them, so lots of people contributed to it," says Toni Wolf, Takeform senior experiential graphic designer.

Creating the matrix so that dynamic word grids would land neatly across the glass panels' seams took more than crossword-level brainpower. "NASA sent over a CAD file of all the words laid out according to their wall sizes, but they didn't realize that the glass panels had quarter-inch seams, so we had to do a lot of manipulation to ensure legibility."

Typography-driven window films around meeting rooms capture the complexity and collaboration critical to NASA's mission.

"Each department chose the words and subjects that would go on their wall to reflect what their department means to them, so lots of people contributed to it."

- Toni Wolf, Senior Experiential Designer, Takeform