Boston Harbor Islands Visitor Pavilion for National Park Service and Boston Harbor Alliance

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Message Boston Harbor Islands Visitor Pavilion Out of sight, out of mind—that was the problem for Boston Harbor Islands National Park, long considered one of the city’s best-kept secrets. The 34 islands are home to a Civil War-era fort, historic lighthouses, and more than 50 square miles of bays, harbors, and rivers within the greater Boston Harbor basin. Yet, even Bostonians express surprise when they first see the network of islands from an airplane window while flying into or out of the city. To increase the islands’ visibility and entice more visitors, the National Park Service and Boston Harbor Alliance asked Utile, Inc. (a Boston-based architecture & planning firm), Reed Hilderbrand (a landscape architecture firm), and IDEO to design a pavilion on the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway, which reconnects the city’s historic waterfront to the downtown area. The team believed a successful pavilion would sell boat tickets, attract passers-by, and enable a positive encounter with the islands by anticipating and supporting visitor needs and aspirations across the experience. Today, the structure serves as the primary gateway linking Boston to the Harbor Islands, equipping the city with an experiential anchor to better connect visitors with Boston’s coastal gems. To inform the design, a multi-disciplinary team actively engaged stakeholders and visitors in a collaborative process to turn human-centered research insights into tangible expressions. The team comprised three architects, two landscape architects, a human factors specialist, an experience designer, a civil engineer, a structural engineer, and a consulting attorney. Due to the project’s fast timeline, the boat’s winter schedule, and the fact that the islands were only accessible for a limited period of time, the team quickly collected a wealth of information and insights about the existing Harbor Island visitor journey—from planning a trip to riding the ferry, touring one or more islands, and returning to the harbor. Sources included first-hand accounts, photo essays, and interviews with park rangers, city officials, and residents. By identifying key challenges faced by Boston national park visitors, from the fear of missing the last boat off the island (dubbed “Gilligan’s Island Syndrome”) to a general lack of awareness of how short the boat trip really is, the team was able to design human-centered wayfinding and exhibition options that solve for real-life challenges. IDEO collaborated closely with Utile to support the translation of the vision and related concepts into the built environment. Examples implemented include the following pavilion features: 1. Island ground map: The floor of the pavilion’s exhibit has outlines of the islands in scale. The spatial organization of the exhibit acts as the first orientation mechanism and helps visitors build an accurate mental model of the relationship of the islands to each other. 2. Island exhibit panels: Eight panels representing each individual island were situated in relationship to the ground map and their geography in the harbor. The panels’ organic structure encourages people to actively explore the islands by moving through space. Catering to the different ways in which visitors choose which island to visit, panels are double-sided–one side displays evocative imagery that represents the character of each island and the other displays a map, activities, and detailed information. 3. Video installation: Curated by artists, the video display creates a live and dynamic relationship between the pavilion and the islands. 4. Harbor collaborative map: The harbor map displays the boat itineraries. Made of Plexiglas, it becomes a tool that enables rangers and visitors to work together towards building the ideal itinerary, and use dry erase markers to write notes and leave tips for others at the end of their visit. 5. Live schedule display: The live schedule displays the next three ferries to the islands in order to encourage spontaneous visits. 6. Self-service ticket kiosk: Self-service kiosks streamline the process of purchasing a ticket. Using a familiar system (movie theatre, airport) promotes the idea that the islands are easy to get to. The Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion was officially unveiled on June 2, 2011. The pavilion was honored with a 2011 Honor Award for Design Excellence from the Boston Society of Architects, the 2011 Grand Honor Award from the Associated General Contractors of New England, and a Silver Award from the 2012 ACEC/MA Engineering Excellence Awards. The Boston Harbor Island Alliance, which acts as a steward for the 34 islands, anticipates that the pavilion will positively impact the number of visitors this year. “I’d be surprised if the new facility on the Greenway doesn’t add 20 percent to our visitor totals,” Thomas B. Powers, Alliance president, told the Boston Globe. http://www.ideo.com/work/boston-harbor-islands-visitor-pavilion

Out of sight, out of mind—that was the problem for Boston Harbor Islands National Park, long considered one of the city’s best-kept secrets. The 34 islands are home to a Civil War-era fort, historic lighthouses, and more than 50 square miles of bays, harbors, and rivers within the greater Boston Harbor basin. Yet, even Bostonians express surprise when they first see the network of islands from an airplane window while flying into or out of the city.

To increase the islands’ visibility and entice more visitors, the National Park Service and Boston Harbor Alliance asked Utile, Inc. (a Boston-based architecture & planning firm), Reed Hilderbrand (a landscape architecture firm), and IDEO to design a pavilion on the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway, which reconnects the city’s historic waterfront to the downtown area. The team believed a successful pavilion would sell boat tickets, attract passers-by, and enable a positive encounter with the islands by anticipating and supporting visitor needs and aspirations across the experience. Today, the structure serves as the primary gateway linking Boston to the Harbor Islands, equipping the city with an experiential anchor to better connect visitors with Boston’s coastal gems.

To inform the design, a multi-disciplinary team actively engaged stakeholders and visitors in a collaborative process to turn human-centered research insights into tangible expressions. The team comprised three architects, two landscape architects, a human factors specialist, an experience designer, a civil engineer, a structural engineer, and a consulting attorney. Due to the project’s fast timeline, the boat’s winter schedule, and the fact that the islands were only accessible for a limited period of time, the team quickly collected a wealth of information and insights about the existing Harbor Island visitor journey—from planning a trip to riding the ferry, touring one or more islands, and returning to the harbor. Sources included first-hand accounts, photo essays, and interviews with park rangers, city officials, and residents. By identifying key challenges faced by Boston national park visitors, from the fear of missing the last boat off the island (dubbed “Gilligan’s Island Syndrome”) to a general lack of awareness of how short the boat trip really is, the team was able to design human-centered wayfinding and exhibition options that solve for real-life challenges.

IDEO collaborated closely with Utile to support the translation of the vision and related concepts into the built environment. Examples implemented include the following pavilion features:

1. Island ground map: The floor of the pavilion’s exhibit has outlines of the islands in scale. The spatial organization of the exhibit acts as the first orientation mechanism and helps visitors build an accurate mental model of the relationship of the islands to each other.
2. Island exhibit panels: Eight panels representing each individual island were situated in relationship to the ground map and their geography in the harbor. The panels’ organic structure encourages people to actively explore the islands by moving through space. Catering to the different ways in which visitors choose which island to visit, panels are double-sided–one side displays evocative imagery that represents the character of each island and the other displays a map, activities, and detailed information.

3. Video installation: Curated by artists, the video display creates a live and dynamic relationship between the pavilion and the islands.

4. Harbor collaborative map: The harbor map displays the boat itineraries. Made of Plexiglas, it becomes a tool that enables rangers and visitors to work together towards building the ideal itinerary, and use dry erase markers to write notes and leave tips for others at the end of their visit.

5. Live schedule display: The live schedule displays the next three ferries to the islands in order to encourage spontaneous visits.

6. Self-service ticket kiosk: Self-service kiosks streamline the process of purchasing a ticket. Using a familiar system (movie theatre, airport) promotes the idea that the islands are easy to get to.

The Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion was officially unveiled on June 2, 2011. The pavilion was honored with a 2011 Honor Award for Design Excellence from the Boston Society of Architects, the 2011 Grand Honor Award from the Associated General Contractors of New England, and a Silver Award from the 2012 ACEC/MA Engineering Excellence Awards.

The Boston Harbor Island Alliance, which acts as a steward for the 34 islands, anticipates that the pavilion will positively impact the number of visitors this year. “I’d be surprised if the new facility on the Greenway doesn’t add 20 percent to our visitor totals,” Thomas B. Powers, Alliance president, told the Boston Globe.