text: Creating a compelling guest experience within iconic Rockefeller Center
  by Gene Jeffers
  For more than 90 years, Rockefeller Center, with its 15 buildings serving multiple divisions, has been the beating heart of New York City. Since its opening in the 1930s, it has defined what a sophisticated urban center can be. For design firm THG Creative and their client Tishman Speyer, evoking that depth and richness in the newly completed Top of the Rock guest experience required nearly six years of concept development, design, engineering, fabrication and construction. “We set out to capture the essence of what Rockefeller Center has meant and continues to mean to New York, to the nation and to the world,” says Phil Hettema, Founder and CEO, THG Creative. “Working together with the client, our staff and a set of amazing specialty vendors, our team created a beautiful and unfettered experience in the midst of as-built, legacy structures that did not mitigate easily.”
  The project began as a competition, with three design firms generating ideas and concepts with the client. Eventually THG Creative won the contract for concept design, schematic design, design development, construction drawing coordination & support, production, procurement, installation, construction administration, theory of operations, programming, operations training, and opening for the project. In short: do the project.
  “Phil had a very clear vision to double down on the history of Rockefeller Center,” says Jared Peter, Senior Producer, THG. “The experience had to tell a nearly century-long cascade of narratives tied to the very fabric of America.” Stories of radio and TV shows and personalities, of romantic meetings while ice skating at The Rink or traversing Rockefeller Plaza, of children’s memories of the Christmas Tree’s splendor, of the energy and excitement of boom and bust corporations, the glory of iconic art installations, and so much more. Any day of the year, season after season, year after year, there has always been something happening at the Center. “We set out to immerse guests in those stories and emotions and, at the same time, provide unexpected thrills,” says Peter. “The Top of the Rock is a new, dynamic experience that resonates with those memories and creates new ones for the visitors.”
  As a space designed a century ago and adapted again and again, the mezzanine level that houses the welcome and preshow for the Top of the Rock presented a number of structural and infrastructure realities. “With such a vast collection of interwoven stories to tell, we had dozens of concepts that sought to expand the available area, but in the end, we had to carefully select the creative solutions to fit within the original 6,000-square-foot space and within the final project budget,” says Jodi Roberdes, Director of Architecture at THG. Like all projects there were challenges, from lowering the floor to increasing ceiling height and coordinating all HVAC equipment, lighting, and cable routing paths with the existing and new building systems, but all were overcome. “We worked closely with the Gilbane team, the construction manager, to support and execute client design decisions in real time. It was a team effort,” says Roberdes. All of these adaptations had to be kept invisible and seamless to ensure an engaging entry experience would smoothly lead 1,200 guests per hour into and through the Top of the Rock experience.
  Driven by Hettema’s vision to capture the essence of the place, THG turned to muralist Sally Wern Comport to create more than 300 linear feet of murals. “The whole idea is mimicking the existing murals in Rockefeller Center,” says Comport. Upon entering the mezzanine, guests are immediately immersed in the style and feel of the murals and connect with the space. “There are symbols that help you see the universal idea: life at the center of the city where innovation begins and innovation radiates out.”
  To further reinforce that sense of being an integral part of Rockefeller Center, a bold palette of materials and finishes was chosen throughout to match the look and feel of the overall complex. The guest journey adds historic photos and informative 75” video displays that highlight drone footage of Rockefeller Center, promote restaurants and retail shops, and display customized theater posters for the upcoming multimedia presentation. The path brings visitors to a 10-foot-high, 15-by-8-foot projection- mapped model, which offers a dynamic orientation to the Center and points out buildings and features of the complex. Eight short segments – each focusing on unique aspects of the historic campus – include Welcome to the Top of the Rock, A City within a City, A Legend Arises, Art Deco Masterpieces, Heart of New York, Center of Commerce and Communication, Mecca for the Arts, and Center of Romance & Glamour. Twelve ceiling projectors, multiple cameras, custom choreographed music, a platoon of speakers and a subwoofer drive a narrative that provides wayfinding information as well as details about the historical and cultural happenings in this village within a city.
  “The guest journey then leads to the second preshow attraction, a pulsed immersion theater show,” explains Roberdes. The the theater, surprising and delighting the guests. The theater has a capacity of 120 guests with a runtime that correlates with the elevator cycle time, optimizing the guests’ wait times to get to the upper levels and experience the dramatic views and rooftop attractions.
  Up, up and away
  The 46-second elevator ride from the mezzanine to the Observation Decks on the 69th and 70th levels includes a media and light show on two transparent OLED display screens that reveal the shaft on the way up and down. The upward journey features animated media that brings to life Wisdom, one of the Center’s most iconic art pieces; the downward ride show connects guests to different levels of the building and their tenants. All add to the guests’ understanding of Rockefeller Center and its place in the city and in history.
  Unique among New York City observation decks, the Top of the Rock puts guests in the midst of, rather than high above, New York City’s skyscraper forest. Unique views of the city and skyline offer the greatest view in the world. For guests wanting more, two upcharge attractions for the adventurous are available.
  On the 69th level, The Beam gives guests a way to reproduce the iconic photo of iron workers eating lunch high above the ground while Rockefeller Center was under construction. They sit on an iron crossbeam and are lifted 12 feet above the floor and rotated 180 degrees by a two-stage hydraulic system. The height of the ride has been carefully calculated to ensure that passengers are far enough above the glass edge wall so photos replicate the immense height, the dangling feet and the Central Park background of the original ironworkers’ photo.
  On the 70th level, Skylft rises from the roof deck and spirits thirteen guests and an operator 30 feet up. Designed by THG and fabricated and installed by TAIT, the lift has two induction motors mechanically linked to two SERAPID Rigid Chain units and vertically transports guests to a one-of-a-kind 360-degree view of New York City. The lift boasts a glass floor, which starts out opaque and, when the lift reaches the top, turns transparent and provides a thrilling sense of floating in air. It performs a full rotation during the ascent, during the dwell time at the top, and during the descent to give every passenger a complete panoramic view. The careful selection of finishes and fluting on the four stages of the lift again provide a visual effect compatible with Rockefeller Center architecture. Programmable LED lighting makes for endless possibilities as a viewing platform for guests and as a spectacular sight for observers in nearby buildings.
  Whatever was wanted, whatever was needed
  As with any complex project, completing the Top of the Rock required THG Creative and their vendors to find solutions and remain within budget. “Whatever was wanted, whatever needed to be changed, we figured out a way to do it,” says Roberdes. “This is one of THG’s strengths. We identify potential clashes and concerns before they occur, offer and implement solutions.”
  Every detail designed and engineered for the project reflects and touches Hettema’s vision. “We pulled together an amazing team of staff and vendors and created something you want to look at, dive into deeply, or just stand back and admire for its beauty,” says Peter. “Top of the Rock is a one-of-a-kind, dynamic experience you don’t want to miss.”
  With the final attraction – the Skylift – now open, the Top of the Rock has quickly become the “must-do” experience in New York City for tourists and locals. “Finding ways to portray this multidimensional, multigenerational Center was a complex task,” says Hettema. “We felt it was crucial for guests to see what made this such an iconic place. We wanted guests to create unforgettable memories of this place, of Rockefeller Center. I think we have done just that.”
  THG Creative specializes in uniquely creative, impactful design and production in the world of experiential entertainment. Visit thgcreative.com. •
  - TAIT (Skylift Engineering, Fabrication and Install)
  - Electrosonic (AVC Integration)
  - Adirondack Studios (Scenic Fabricator)
  - Eos Lightmedia (Lighting Integration)
  - Visual Terrain (Lighting Designer–Mezzanine & Elevators)
  - David Finn Design (Skylift Lighting Designer)
  - Supply&Demand (Media Designer)
  - Yessian (Music & Sound Design)
  - Cadmium Scénique (Model Maker/Show Set)
  - Hunt Design (Signage)
  - 5TEN (LED Consultant)
  - Disguise (Servers/3D Calibration)
  - Cimolai (Beam Fabricator and Install)
  - TechMD (AVC Design)
  - The Fury Studio (Media/ Projection Support)
  - TWT (Ride/Attraction Consultant)
  - 11:11 (Creative–Models/Mock- ups)
  - Gilbane (Construction Management)
  - MDA (Executive Architect)
  - AMA Group (MEP Engineers)
  - GMS (Structural Engineers)
  - Schindler (Elevator)
  - National Cab (Elevator Cab Interiors)
  - The Andrus Group (Project Management Support)