Dunhuang, China – Wyatt Design Group, Inc. was commissioned by Northwestern University funded by a grant from the Mellon Foundation to study the potential of a Digital Virtual Tour of the 1500 year-old Mogao Cave Temples of Mogao, at Dunhuang, China. The Virtual Cave Tour utilizes digital photography of selected caves in a media-based experience that allows up to 5,000 visitors to the site per day to experience a docent-led random and interactive exploration of the cave interiors, closely studying fine details of the unparalleled artwork and sculpture within. This unusual assignment involved on-site study of visitor behavior, interpretive messages and practices, circulation patterns, assessment of existing visitor facilities, and programming and planning studies for the proposed new visitor center which will house the Virtual Tour experience as well as other media and exhibition elements. To produce a full-scale prototype of the Virtual Tour Experience, WDG enlisted the technical expertise of Edwards Technologies and Pixel Play Studios. For Facility Design of the Digital Media Center, WDG collaborated with GLC Consulting, Shanghai, and Electrosonic Systems, Burbank. The 12,000 m2 Tourist Center building was designed by China Architecture Design and Research Group, Cui Kai Studio to simulate the natural desert landscape, borrowing ideas from existing mountain caves to reveal a respect for history and the existing harsh but stunning environment.
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