Wayfinding system for The Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defense


The Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence is a museum in Hong Kong that is based in a historic coastal defense fort at Shau Kei Wan on Hong Kong Island, overlooking the Lei Yue Mun channel. The fort was built by the British in 1887 to protect Victoria Harbour’s eastern entrances. Its historical construction boasts a large outdoor space with a
distinctive architectural design, a strong tensile structure, and other traditional building materials, providing visitors with a comfortable and historical experience.

Agency

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Practice Area

Client

Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defense

Industry

Because the historical site wishes to attract more people and deliver a better user experience, our objective was to design a way-finding system that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional. The design’s purpose is to establish a unified system that allows visitors to navigate from the site’s highest point—the hill—to the main ground. Simultaneously, our design language was inspired by the gentle curves of waves, a link to “Coastal,” as well as the sharp and rigid edges of structures visible on the site, a response to “Defense,” resulting in a mix of soft and hard that became the main concept throughout the designs.

Typography, colour palette and design language

Yip Long, Huang Cheuk Ying

Interpretive signage with tangible interaction experience

Yip Long, Huang Cheuk Ying

Fingerpost sign

Yip Long, Huang Cheuk Ying

Fingerpost sign up-close details

Yip Long, Huang Cheuk Ying

Standing post

Yip Long, Huang Cheuk Ying

Grid and structure of type and pictogram arrangements

Yip Long, Huang Cheuk Ying

Wall-mounted signage

Yip Long, Huang Cheuk Ying

Project Details
Design Team

Communication Design, HK PolyU

Collaborators

STG Design (architecture and interiors) Will Gresham (AIA principal in charge), Architecture: Eileen Wright (AIA principal in charge), Interiors: Brittani Long, Claudia Rodriguez, Kaitlin Hogan (interior designers); TBG Partners (landscape architecture); STG Design (planning); Moss, Inc. (fabrication): Daniele Fracasse (account director); Ken Zommer, (project manager); Briks Loves Ya, Brave the Woods, Pop Chart Labs, Caitlin Alexander, Taylor Krz, Demois & Godeau, Becky Simpson, Nathan Walker, Brian Gossett, John Mata (illustrators); Mark Denton (writer), Maggie Stephens (writer, content and context); K&L Lighting (lighting consultant); Jeff Mendrala, LC

Photo Credits

Yip Long, Huang Cheuk Ying

Open Date

November 2021