The new Global Headquarters of USC Shoah Foundation is a conduit to the Institute’s growing collection of over 55,000 video testimonies by witnesses of genocide and supports its nearly 100-person staff to realize the Institute’s mission: “to develop empathy, understanding and respect through testimony.” For the first time, the Foundation has its own public space, allowing them to welcome visitors, mount exhibitions, and host events. Designed with deep emotional and cultural sensitivity, the new headquarters is an immersive, didactic environment that adapts to the needs of this important institution.
Dual functionality and flexibility were critical to accommodating the breadth of program required. Moveable walls, modular conference tables, and flexible seating options organized into “neighborhoods” allow the optimal performance for a variety of uses and users. Every detail in the design was therefore developed at a fine grain while achieving the over-arching goal of enabling the Institute to realize its multi-faceted global mission.
Fundamental to the Foundation’s mission is storytelling as a way to engage and educate. While the design conveys archival narratives through exhibition, interactive technology, commissioned art, materiality, and extensive programming, it also tells the story of the Institute and how it goes about achieving its mission. The design of the spatial and digital experience of the project embodies this didactic duality in every way.