BSLA Fieldbook BSLA 2014 Fall Fieldbook | Page 49

TOOLBOX / BSLA THE NEW DIRECTION OF WAYFINDING Re c og n i z i n g t h e dy na mi c n at u re of p e o p l e’s ne e d s , m o d e rn wayf i nd i n g t o ol s u t i li z e t h e d i g i t a l wo r l d TEGIN TEICH BENNETT and RITESH WARADE W ayfinding has to do with navigation and orientation. Traditional strategies to wayfinding usually involve signing a single recommended route to or through a place. There is a growing recognition in our global society that audiences are larger and broader, and their needs are more dynamic. If that is the case, why only offer one route? One person’s preferred way to get to a place often varies from another person’s, and may change over time, and even at the spur of the moment. A person might be interested in the fastest, most comfortable, or most scenic path, and their preference could change depend on the reason for visiting (for work, leisure, etc.) ABOVE Field Trip® is a smart, serendipitous, and stylish tour guide Recognizing the dynamic nature of people’s needs, modern wayfinding tools utilize the digital world to provide an additional dimension to the experience of navigating to and visiting a place. Physical signage provides pre-set routes for all visitors, while technology Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook 47