2020 Vision: Kid-Friendly Spaces

Culver City, California-based OfficeUntitled conceived Cayton Children’s Museum as an inclusive space that encourages discovery, exploration, and unencumbered play. A network of tactile, freestanding objects was thoughtfully placed throughout in a non-linear network to frame the five major exhibit areas, called neighborhoods, while slowly revealing the rest of the museum. The plywood-clad objects playfully resemble an armadillo, porcupine, and more, blurring the lines between exhibit and architecture. “Children think differently. In fact, they have zero rules or preconceptions, [and] that’s what a children’s museum should be,” says OfficeUntitled Co-Founder and Principal Shawn Gehle. “It should be a place where there’s no gravity and no rules, where everything is active play, interaction, and immersion, but that also teaches community, social skills, and love.”