Foster School of Business

Belle & Wissell worked in close collaboration with LMN Architects and wpa in Seattle to create a digital wayfinding system that would best support the modern principles of Paccar Hall and Dempsey Hall; the newest additions to the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington.

Wayfinding challenges included complex floorplans, multi-level building entrances, and multiple connection points between the buildings. In response to these challenges, Belle & Wissell designed and developed a comprehensive interactive building directory that provides up-to-date information on people, places, and events as it pulls from multiple campus databases to stay current and relevant. A responsive, animating interface provides intuitive interaction and helps students quickly understand how to find what they seek and how to get there.

The second component is a “multiplex”—an enclosure housing two large displays—which was built to handle Sharepoint data feeds to display real-time events calendar, coupled with school-branded transitions, corporate partners/visits, and school announcements. This content is presented at two locations in the skybridge areas between the two new school buildings.

The third component was a Twitter feed interactive for Paccar Hall, that was designed to cleanly integrate with architectural elements and push real-time news via aggregate Twitter business feeds. Students can interact using the touch screen interface and easily browse feeds that they are interested in.

The final component was a digital donor program for Paccar Hall that was designed to cleanly integrate with architectural elements and physical donor components. A large donor wall is brought to life with a zooming touch interface that provides content filtering and deeper information, and passive digital displays work in concert to clearly credit donor contributions. Donor database additions happen over time with a custom-built content management tool—empowering business school staff to make quick and seamless changes.