Motorola M-Lab Design Narrative

Motorola M-Lab, designed by Gensler, is an “edu-tainment” venue that exposes kids to science, technology, and innovation at career-focused theme park Wannado City. Wannado City is America's first indoor role-playing park for kids and is a replica of an actual city where kids can explore different professions.

Designer: Gensler

Gensler provided strategic brand consultation, concept development, environmental and graphic design, and creative oversight for all aspects of the experience.

Game Designer: ImaginEngine

ImaginEngine collaborated with Gensler to create the video, sound, and game content.

Construction and Fabrication Manager: MC2

MC2 provided A/V, lighting, and technical assistance and coordinated fabrication and construction.

Branded Concept Development

Gensler teamed with Motorola to develop a venue that would strengthen and expand the global communications company’s consumer relationships. The result is M-Lab, a unique experience that helps position Motorola to become the preferred technology brand for the emerging tween (ages 8-12) market, which comprises most of Wannado City’s clientele.

Given the target age group’s high level of comfort with technology and the opportunity to position the Motorola brand with the uninitiated, Gensler seized the occasion to introduce the brand as innovative, design-centric, and technologically advanced. Bringing these qualities to life meant engaging the kids in an unforgettable experience that, in keeping with Wannado City’s mission, both educates and entertains, while establishing Motorola as "wickedly cool" among the young audience. “Motorola believes that life is better when things are smart. We needed to make that relevant to kids,” said Russell Banks, Gensler’s creative director for the project.

Gensler developed an immersive role-playing experience where participants become "M-Ventors" in Motorola’s Innovation Lab. Here they are tasked with helping to solve a difficult problem using an interactive video game while working as a team. "We designed an experience that helps kids make the connection between the technology they use every day and values such as innovative thinking, design, and science," said Banks. "In the end, they’ll have fun, learn something, and establish a new and positive connection to the Motorola brand."

To achieve a consistent and truly immersive experience, Gensler designed every detail to contribute to a technology-driven experience – from the sleek metallic surfaces and edgy environmental graphics to the realistic lab coats, badges, and workstations. To provide a new experience for repeat customers, the video’s graphics and mission are easily customizable for content refreshes on a regular basis.

Design Highlights

The approximately 1200 square-foot space is comprised of seven distinct zones:

Entry Façade: The Motorola M-Lab is a futuristic beacon amid the quaint town square and traffic lights and mock doctors’ offices and retail establishments of Wannado City. Clad in aluminum and Panelite (a textured honeycomb-like material that echoes the hexagonal motif seen within the lab), the façade, which is lit from within to appear luminescent, sets the tone for a high tech experience. The glowing Motorola logo extends dramatically atop the entryway, and a custom-made circular door-pull also recalls Motorola’s “batwing” logo. A designated queuing area beside the entrance features a 40-foot by 8-foot mural that graphically depicts famous inventions and innovations, introducing the venue’s theme and setting the tone for the “edutainment” experience ahead.

Decompression Zone: The angled entry foyer, or Decompression Zone, is designed to be a transitory environment between the outside world and the totally immersive experience ahead. This zone is animated by ambient chatter among scientists and other “high-tech” lab noises, the first in a series of experiential ambient sounds in each room hereafter. Designed to build anticipation, blue and gray walls feature atmospheric graphics and a clock counting down to the start of the next mission. The M-Lab logo, which appears several times throughout the experience, is superimposed at the back of the foyer. Rubber flooring and a metallic canopy roof contribute to a high-tech lab aesthetic.

Mission Control: Low lighting and the dark painted walls and ceiling in the Mission Control Room draw attention to a glowing 50-inch plasma screen and white lab coats in a corner. As eyes adjust to the dimly lit room, intricate topographic wall murals that infer travel come into view, fostering a sense of continual discovery. The “Field-Ops Leader” stands beside a chalkboard wall graphic, ready to introduce the mission together with the voice of “Dr. M.” heard over the speakers. The now de-briefed “M-Ventors” don lab coats and badges and are ushered through a glowing hexagonal door that swooshes dramatically as they enter the Transition Tunnel.

Transition Tunnel: Providing a dramatic shift from the dark and intimate preceding spaces, the bright hexagonal shaped metal tunnel that leads from Mission Control to the M-Lab continues the sensory experience: a slight breeze and faint aroma fitting with the task at hand waft through the air, while ambient sounds build excitement and immerse participants in their mission. The floor of the 8-foot corridor is a diamond plate metal ramp, which clangs beneath participants’ footsteps and leads to a glowing room visible at the end of the tunnel.

M-Lab: The bright-white hexagonal assembly area features rubber flooring and high-gloss metal fixtures and consoles to evoke a sterile lab environment. Fabric scrims stretched around light fixtures affect a bright, otherworldly glow. The “Mission Leader” who, along with Dr. M, will guide the M-Ventors through the rest of the mission, greets the kids from a slightly elevated stage. The pods of the final stage loom just beyond the assembly area within the M-Lab.

Pod Workstations: The final zone contains three hexagon shaped pods that enclose the up-to 4-person teams. Each pod is color-coded to match the badges on the M-Ventors’ lab coats. Each M-Ventor has a station at the Control Console, the hexagonal worktable located at the center of each pod. The Control Console contains joystick, trackball, and button controls, individual 8-inch monitors (one per participant), and a shared 50-inch monitor at the center of the console. The windows on the walls of the pods and the monitor in the center of the Control Console play a realistic movie giving the impression that the pod is traveling to the mission’s destination. Metal walls reinforce the high-tech theme, while integrated speakers allow ambient sound to fill the space. Translucent fabric canopy-like roof structures on each pod are backlit, emitting a soft glow. By adjusting graphics, lighting, and sound, the pod can seem to be underwater or at the base of Mount Everest. Raised flooring with integrated floor transducers allows a deep rumble to be felt when the pods arrive at their destination, depending on the mission.

Exit: The children are guided down an exit corridor with light-tape running the length of the side walls and vapor-tight ship-lighting fixtures hanging from the ceiling. A large sign reads “Mission Accomplished”, and scientist voices from hidden speakers thank the M-Ventors, indicating a successful mission. They toss their uniforms in a chute and walk through a door that empties back into Wannado City. The door they have just exited blends into the background, evoking another sensory shift as they are abruptly introduced back into the normalcy of Wannado City.

About Gensler

Gensler is a leading global design, planning and strategic consulting firm, with 2300 people and a network of 30 offices around the globe. Founded in 1965, Gensler partners with its clients to create places that enhance organizational performance and enrich people and communities. The recipient of three prestigious Business Week / Architectural Record Awards for projects that demonstrate the power of architectural design to meet strategic business goals, Gensler is consistently ranked as the leading architecture and interior design firm in industry surveys. In 2005, Gensler received the Leadership Award from the U.S. Green Building Council for its commitment to the advancement of sustainable design. The firm has partnered with some of the world’s leading retail brands including American Girl, Apple, Gap, and Toys "R" Us, providing brand strategy and design services.

Find Gensler online at: www.gensler.com