AT&T Discovery District
AT&T approached Obscura Digital with the opportunity to redefine the experience of their corporate headquarters. We aimed to create a unified design that would permeate every aspect of their Discovery District, manifesting dynamic and multi-purpose spaces to celebrate and elevate the AT&T brand at a historic moment in its evolution, having recently joined forces with the media empire of Time Warner.
Over the course of the Concept Design phase, I worked with creative superstar GMUNK (Obscura’s Executive Creative Director at the time), to build out an overarching design strategy that would inform our design of the physical structure of the pavilion, the placement and form-factors of large format media displays, the nature of the visual content that would populate those screens, and how those decisions would cascade into the way that people interact with one another throughout the plaza. We aimed to develop an idea that could unite the entire plaza around a sense of purpose, in line with the shared mission of AT&T and Time Warner.
AT&T Brand Insight
AT&T is a powerful source of interconnectivity, with an unparalleled global network. Now, the channels and pathways of that vast system are intimately linked with Time Warner, a media company that has some of the greatest entertainment content on the planet, from the Harry Potter franchise, to the DC superhero library, to amazing HBO properties like Game of Thrones and Westworld. The sprawling web of AT&T’s network will now be infused with sounds, images, media, and above all, stories.
The combination of these two incredible companies is marrying the twin pillars of communication and entertainment. Now, AT&T is not only capable of delivering information and data around the world, but they also have their own powerful content to deliver. This synergistic fusion creates a new, emergent force with both breadth (in the AT&T network's worldwide reach) and depth (in the sprawling library of content from Time Warner).
Our design for the District brings these lofty ideas to life in a tangible, experiential way. The elements of the plaza will all be interlinked in a living ecosystem that represents the vibrant activity of the AT&T network, while the raw material that transmits through the system, like water flowing through a river, is the legendary entertainment content of Time Warner.
Content Strategy
AT&T delivers information, media, and communications across the planet at light speed. Metaphorically, this network is a vast ocean of information and interaction. Millions of moving parts, like drops in the sea, all connected and affecting each other at once. We wanted to represent that idea in a relatable human way, through the twin concepts of CURRENTS and FLOW.
We drew together a sprawling board of inspiration from currents found throughout nature, from the global movement of air across the planet to the electrical movement of impulses through the synapses in the brain. A variety of excitations moving within a medium, never in a vacuum. Natural currents bring to mind wind, water, energy, etc.. But for AT&T today, in the wake of merging with Time Warner, the current is content. Movies, television, music, and more— these are the raw materials that organically flow through the data network, connecting with audiences around the world.
In our content strategy, we wanted to be able to draw upon and emphasize the company’s impressive collection of high profile entertainment properties. Familiar images and sounds treated with layers of motion and abstraction, artfully transforming and dissolving into elements of flow, and just as gracefully, resolving back into scenes of beloved characters and stories we all know. Content would fluidly move between different “levels” of Current, which manifest visually as different levels of abstraction. Think of an object seen at different depths in a moving river— content becomes clear as it rises to the surface, then shimmers into a shapeless haze as it sinks back down.
This concept of flow and current connects the physical displays and lighting seamlessly so as to immerse visitors into a cohesive environment, extending from the content itself, to the shape of the architectural form of the pavilion.
Pavilion Design
Imbuing Dynamic Flow Into Static Structure
Working from our initial design principles, I sketched a wide variety of pavilion shapes while creating the 3D models in Blender. By using parametric modeling tools, I was able to quickly iterate many permutations of the designs by procedurally varying dynamic parameters that would shape their geometry. Along the way, we chose favorites from the bunch, which I would integrate into the 3D model of the location itself. We would then analyze their success in fulfilling the multifaceted goals of the structure— for example: the various important sight lines, the pedestrian traffic of different ‘user groups’ throughout a typical day, the functionality enabled to activate and engage the pavilion for special events, etc.
Of the many pavilion concepts that we prototyped, this direction resonated most with the client. It puts a twist on the iconic AT&T logo that implies a moving flow, extending the narrative of our content strategy of abstracting the familiar beneath currents.
Gensler Continues Development
After our initial concept development phase, we handed the project off to the fine architects at Gensler. While there have been changes in the materials and media platforms inside the pavilion, the core idea behind the architectural form remains.
