Foster School of Business

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Change Elevators

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An installation designed to reflect on the nature of change, installed in the one part of a building that is always guaranteed to be on the move.
Project
Change Elevators
Location
Seattle, Washington
Year
2012
Team
Principal: Kristine Matthews, in collaboration with Karen Cheng
Partners
Architect: LMN Architects
Fabricators: DST, Synergism
Photography
Michael Burns, Matt Hagen; Video: Jeremy Juel
Categories
Installation

A permanent installation for the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, Change Elevators reflects on the relationship between business and the many interpretations of change. As the elevators move from one floor to another, the word CHANGE forms different phrases with other words appearing on the floor outside. For example: GLOBAL CHANGE / LOCAL CHANGE, CHANGE IDEAS / CHANGE LIVES and so on. Further hammering home the “change” theme, actual change (coins) from countries around the world is embedded in the elevator floors as bullet points. The coins from 20 different countries reference the diverse population of the UW Business School, as well as the global nature of business. This project was a collaboration with Professor of Visual Communication Design Karen Cheng.

View a two-minute descriptive video of the project here.

Awards
Core77 Design Awards 2011, Graphics, Branding, Identity Professional Notable Award
SEGD Global Design Awards 2011, Public Installation Merit Award

SEGD Jury Comments: “This project is a creative call to action that is both unexpected and powerful in its given context. Great use of form, typography, and meaning.”
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