Thought-Built Exhibition
The Martin House
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect who designed some of the most iconic buildings in the world. One of his finest residential achievements during his Prairie House period, Martin House, is located right here in Buffalo. And one of his most expansive commercial projects and first-ever international commission—the Imperial Hotel—was on the other side of the world, in the center of Tokyo, Japan.
A story within a story, the two buildings poignantly meet as part of Thought-Built: The Imperial Hotel at 100—an inaugural exhibition at the Martin House showcasing the lost hotel through early sketches and original architectural elements rescued from demolition.
Through this project, design built a meaningful bridge between one lost masterwork and its presentation within another one of Wright’s great architectural achievements as the space became an intrinsic part of the exhibition itself.
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The bold use of red served two purposes: honoring both the Martin House brand and the color’s significance in Japanese culture—a symbol of peace, prosperity, and good luck. The exhibition’s title treatment channels Japanese letterforms through a custom typeface inspired by hotel design elements. A bespoke numbering system for installation timelines complements the exhibition brand.
For wayfinding throughout the exhibition, vertical banners akin to Nobori banners adorned doors, circumventing installation via more conventional signage methods that would compromise the historic integrity of the building.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.