Wayfinding and Signage System for Brown University’s Lindemann Performing Arts Center
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Studio Loutsis announces the unveiling of a bespoke wayfinding, signage, and donor recognition system designed for The Lindemann Performing Arts Center, a new landmark performing arts venue. The Lindemann opened in the fall of 2023 at 144 Angell Street on Brown University’s campus in Providence, Rhode Island.
REX, an internationally acclaimed architecture and design firm based in New York City, designed the building to fulfill the university’s vision of creating a “research laboratory” for the performing arts on campus. The Lindemann offers unparalleled acoustic excellence and flexibility, already garnering global attention as the most automated performance arts venue in the world. Among its unique characteristics is the innovative ability to reconfigure the main performance hall into five distinct configurations. These configurations range from a media “cube” to a concert hall that can accommodate a joint performance by a 100-piece orchestra and an 80-person chorus.
Joining the design team in October 2019, Studio Loutsis worked in close collaboration with REX to develop a wayfinding, signage, and donor recognition system that is visually and functionally integrated into the furniture, the light art installation by Leo Villareal, and the interior and exterior architecture of the building. An example of the close collaboration is the integration of the building identity sign into the glass curtain wall. Signage fabricators DCL (Design Communications Ltd.) played a key role in engineering solutions for the signage illumination through a series of custom prototypes that informed the final signage design and installation. The complex logistics were facilitated by the general contractor, Shawmut Design & Construction, and involved a consortium of vendors and engineers in the United States and Europe.
The Studio’s approach to signage is to create a seamless visitor experience bolstered by information that appears at the right place and the right time. At The Lindemann, this comprised a system of five signage typologies, including identification, wayfinding, donor recognition, programming and code. Within each typology, materials such as acrylic, metal, glass, Corian®, and silkscreen echo the building’s aesthetic of luminosity and respond to the architectural conditions, materials, and colors of each signage location. In response to the architectural flexibility that is The Lindemann’s hallmark, Studio Loutsis designed adaptable wayfinding throughout the lower and upper balconies of the main performance hall to accommodate each of the unique, modular seating arrangements found in each configuration of the space.
“We were thrilled to work with REX and Brown in creating a wayfinding system that is intuitive for the user and that explores the concept of illumination found throughout the building,” says Taylor Loutsis, Studio Loutsis’ founder and creative director. “We wanted the signage to feel like an organic part of the building, not like something that was added later. Brown positioned The Lindemann as a place of artistic experimentation, and they extended that commitment to creative risk through the entire design process. As designers, that openness allowed us to develop a solution that is both fresh and timeless.”
“In Studio Loutsis, we found a collaborator capable of pushing boundaries while maintaining a refined, elegant design vocabulary,” says Joshua Ramus, founding principal of REX.
Unlike other performing arts venues that sit unused much of the time, The Lindemann is constantly activated. Rehearsal, class, and workshop spaces share a dedicated level of the building, and outdoor, curated spaces provide a forum for public art and student activities.
Further, the Nelson Atwater Lobby features the site-specific, three-dimensional, LED artwork Infinite Composition by Leo Villareal, which extends the activity of the building to the surrounding campus.
About Studio Loutsis
Sought after for their artistic sensibilities and meticulous approach to design, Brooklyn-based Studio Loutsis partners closely with architects, artists, institutions and brands. While the Studio’s work is wildly diverse, a common thread weaves throughout its practice: the commitment to crafting meaningful and lasting design in dialogue with contemporary culture.
Clients span sectors including the arts, fashion, retail, and higher education, with projects in print, digital, and environmental design as well as art direction and brand strategy. The Studio has partnered nationally and globally with landmark brands and institutions including Sony Music/RCA, the American Institute of Architects, Red Bull Records, and the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, while remaining committed to amplifying the work of artists, musicians, and other creative entities.
Consultants and Collaborators
Architect: REX
Code Consultant: Jensen Hughes
Furniture: Glenn Rieder
Signage Fabricator: DCL (Design Communications Ltd.)
Lighting Designer: L’Observatoire