BMW Guggenheim Lab

The BMW Guggenheim Lab is a public space for the exploration of ideas for urban life. The website (bmwguggenheimlab.org), launched July 2011, is the central hub to a mobile laboratory traveling to nine major cities worldwide over six years. Led by international, interdisciplinary teams of emerging talents in the areas of urbanism, architecture, art, design, science, technology, education, and sustainability, the Lab addresses issues of contemporary urban life through on- and off-line programs and public discourse. Its goal is the exploration of new ideas, experimentation, and ultimately the creation of forward-thinking solutions for city life.

The BMW Guggenheim Lab website offers a global audience a variety of ways to participate in this multidisciplinary urban project. In addition to visitor information and program schedules, bmwguggenheimlab.org features rich multimedia content (bmwguggenheimlab.org/multimedia), including programming and behind-the-scenes videos and images, and the ability to comment and share posts through e-mail and social media channels via the Disqus commenting platform.

Activities at the BMW Guggenheim Lab are reported on through the blog “LAB | log” (blog.bmwguggenheimlab.org), which also features posts by notable guest writers and regular interviews with the BMW Guggenheim Lab's collaborators. Audiences are also invited to engage with the Lab through the interactive logo and Urbanology online game.

The BMW Guggenheim Lab’s interactive logo (bmwguggenheimlab.org/what-is-the-lab/theme) asks visitors: “How would you improve comfort in the city?” Created by graphic designers Sulki & Min, from Seoul, South Korea, the logo will grow and change through audience interaction on bmwguggenheimlab.org. Reflecting the role of the Lab as a space for the exchange of ideas, the logo will become the metaphorical and virtual representation of worldwide interaction with the theme of Confronting Comfort and the larger discourse about cities and urban life.

Urbanology (bmwguggenheimlab.org/urbanologyonline) is an interactive game that addresses issues that arise when cities grow and inhabitants try to institute lasting change. Urbanology online was conceived as the companion to the large-scale, interactive installation at the BMW Guggenheim Lab, New York, August 3-October 16, 2011. By answering questions about key urban issues—education, housing, health care, infrastructure, and mobility—participants role-play scenarios for city transformation to build a city that matches their specific desires and needs. Based on their personal responses, the player's "Future City" is created and compared with other cities around the world. Players can also suggest questions for future Urbanology sessions online and at the Lab, provoking thought and collective global exchange among each other, and giving them the ability to actively lead the discussion at the Lab. The game experience for Urbanology was developed by Local Projects.