What role does trust play in one of the fastest growing cities in the country? How do designers respond to the ever-evolving needs of an expanding city? The 2018 Seattle Design Festival theme of ‘Trust’ challenged designers to consider their role in the community as creators of space and the touchpoint for connections with diverse stakeholders. Seeing an opportunity to engage with the local community, SMS organized an internal team lead by Nick Krause to design and implement the installation ‘Trust the Movement’.

SMS, along with our partners Bayley Construction and PCS Structural Solutions, collaborated on the design from start to finish. In an early brainstorming session, the design concept of a labyrinth emerged. Designed to require the coordination of multiple people to move through the maze, the team firmly rooted the design in the local community through replicating the Seattle map and topography in the labyrinth.

A CNC routed wood labyrinth served as the primary, eye-catching focal point of the installation. Seattle Landmarks, neighborhoods, and public places were added as destinations for participants to ‘route’ their way to a mutually determined location, trusting other participants to help them reach the destination. The map functions as both a representation of Seattle while also adding points of interest, such as Link light rail stops indicating a future look into the changing city.

The Seattle Design Festival is an annual event series that explores the role of design in shaping the Seattle community. As part of the non-profit Design in Public, a subsidiary of AIA Seattle Chapter, the festival hosts activities, lectures, and a weekend display of installations in Occidental Square in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle. To see more of the 90 programs and installations presented during the Seattle Design Festival, check out their website.

See more photos of Trust the Movement on our Instagram @studiomengstrazzara, and with the hashtag #RollwithchangeSEA