Computer History Museum
COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM
Mark Horton / Architecture
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Citta
LOCATION
Mountain View, CA, USA
ARCHITECT
Mark Horton / Architecture
EXHIBITION DESIGNER
Van Sickle & Rolleri, Ltd.
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Lightswitch
PHOTOGRAPHS
Mark Richards
PROJECT TEAM
Mark Horton, Principal; Daniel Mason, Project Architect
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
MAI Industries, Inc.
AREA
25000.0 ft2
YEAR
2011
MEP AND FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEER
WSP – Flack + Kurtz
EXHIBITION PROJECT TEAM
Dennis Van Sickle, Principal; John Hutchinson, Project Designer
RESTAURANT CONSULTANT
Modern Taste
Exhibition Fabricator
Exhibit Concepts, Inc.
FABRICATOR PROJECT TEAM
Jerry Spangler, Partner in charge; Duane Landes, Project Manager
CONTRACTOR PROJECT TEAM
Chris Dettner, Project Manager; Barry Paxton, Vice Principal in Charge
CODE CONSULTANT
The Preview Group, Inc.
ACOUSTIC CONSULTANT
Michael Stocker Associates
AV SPECIFICATION
Electrosonic, Inc.
AV INTEGRATION
Bowen Technologies
KITCHEN CONSULTANT
Meyers Restaurant Supply, Inc.
Text description provided by architect.
The birthplace of Pong. The home of Facebook. The epicenter of the Cloud. Mark Horton / Architecture (MH/A)'s renovation of an existing former Silicon Graphics office building in Mountain View, California, into the new home of the Computer History Museum is genius loci made physical.
The transformation of the first floor of the building into a new entrance hall and orientation theater, a café and bookstore, and a 25,000 sqf exhibition space housing Revolution
The First 2000 Years of Computing is the perfect re-use of a formerly high-flying computer company in the perfect location. Exhibiting everything from an ENIAC to an Enigma Machine, from an early (wooden) computer mouse (1963) to the first mechanical and programmable computer - the Babbage Difference Engine (designed in 1821)
And from an Apple 1 to a Palm Pilot, the museum is a testament to the exponential evolution of computing and the truth of Moore's Law. Surrounded by a who's who of computing - Google, Apple, HP, Cisco- the Computer History Museum attempts to document a work-in-progress.
The architectural transformation of the front portion of the existing building into an inviting and sophisticated lobby is the initial experience of the museum-goer. Semi-public amenities, including a café and a bookstore, reinforce
This initial impression.An orientation theater and a transitional connection to the exhibition space move the visitor along to the 25,000 sf exhibition space. Computers pervade our world today. MH/A feels lucky to have made its mark on that world.
