Olson Kundig

Bezos Center for Innovation

Bezos Center for Innovation
© Lara Swimmer

Bezos Center for Innovation 

Olson Kundig Architects

ARCHITECTS
Olson Kundig

PHOTOGRAPHS
llara Swimmer

YEAR
2013

LOCATION
Seattle, United States

CATEGORY
Exhibition Center

Text description provided by architect.

Generously supported by Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos, the Bezos Center for Innovation is a groundbreaking exhibition dedicated to the theme of innovation, featuring multimedia, interactive and hands- on experiences as well as artifacts, images and oral histories that explore Seattle’s creative history and ignite the innovator within.

Bezos Center for Innovation
© Lara Swimmer
Bezos Center for Innovation
© Lara Swimmer

The 5,000 square foot exhibit is layered with rich narratives whose interactive nature facilitates discovery and enables visitors to become fully immersed in the creative process.

The exhibition begins with the question, “What is innovation?” Alan Maskin, lead designer for the project notes, “The exhibit frames a dialogue around innovation—visitors have multiple opportunities to engage and offer their own perspectives...

Bezos Center for Innovation
© Lara Swimmer
Bezos Center for Innovation
© Lara Swimmer

As part of the interactive experience visitors are invited to post innovation challenges, while future attendees will have the chance to write, draw, or build solutions to these posed problems—creating a crowdsourced collaboration and activating the collective conscious.”

Active participation permeates the Bezos Center experience. The “Idea Lab” invites visitors to communally identify and solve some of today’s most pressing challenges. In “We Shape our City,” visitors can take self- portraits in a photo booth and add their faces and ideas to the discussion.

Bezos Center for Innovation
© Lara Swimmer
Bezos Center for Innovation
© Lara Swimmer

“Seattle Patent Tree” provides a three- dimensional history of the Puget Sound region’s inventive spirit, allowing visitors to take away original concepts of their favorite “Made-In-Seattle” ideas.

“Go Big!”—a 9’ x 12’ graphic novel—tells the history of Seattle-based organizations through five short stories about connecting, healing, working, shopping and moving, and “Launch Pad” encourages visitors to engage in an interactive exploration of the skills of innovation.

Bezos Center for Innovation
Bezos Center for Innovation
© Lara Swimmer

Collectively, the exhibit examines themes related to the power of place, common traits of successful innovators, what it takes to fully realize a great idea, and whether all successful innovations yield positive results.


Bezos Center for Innovation
© Lara Swimmer
Bezos Center for Innovation
© Lara Swimmer
Bezos Center for Innovation
© Lara Swimmer


Bezos Center for Innovation
Floor Plan
Bezos Center for Innovation
Elevation

Olson Kundig
T +1 206 6245670 F +1 206 6243730
Olson Kundig
159 S Jackson St # 600, Seattle, WA 98104, United States