Information and Orientation System for the Castles of Saxony - Dresden, Germany
Competition | 2010
Imprint
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Currently the “Palaces, Castles and Gardens of Saxony” feature a wide range of different orientation systems and various offers for guided tours and walks, which provide visitors with various levels of detail about the location.
Information, mainly provided on boards, is often limited to sober facts and numbers, which might easily be overlooked. Little attention is paid to the visitors’ independent discovery.

The project is therefore based on the visitors’ needs, which are as diverse as the visitors themselves: from young to old, in search of recreation or education, interested in a specific topic or just in a simple walk in the pleasant environment of a castle garden. Some visitors also have special needs in terms of orientation and accessibility. All these different guests must be equally able to experience the facilities of the palaces, castles and gardens in a positive and comprehensive way, leaving a lasting impression of the visit. This will also encourage them to share the positive experience with others, hence attracting new visitors.

Based on the idea that visitors shall be able to discover and experience the places in their own individual way and according to their needs, the project comprises three major parts. The first two have a “physical” character: an innovative “family” of information carriers, which are placed at points of interest, as well as intelligent technologies integrated into them, which allow visitors to retrieve information with electronic devices. Such devices might be owned by the visitor, like smart-phones, or can be provided at the location.
The third part of the project consists in the information content itself. Both in its analogical version and digitally-enriched one, they allow visitors to find out more information, allowing them to choose for themselves how much detail they would like during their visit.

Such a system helps the visitors to make the visit a pleasant, surprising and individual experience.

 

In cooperation with: Bloomscape Architecture - Bergamo, Italy; Designer Ing. M. Ten Bok - Delft/Pinerolo, Netherlands/Italy; Graphic designer F. Basile - Bergamo, Italy.