Gyroscope: Firm Profile

Gyroscope is a multi-disciplinary design studio founded on the simple idea that design matters. Led by four owners, our work across the country ranges from planning and designing a new start-up museum in Pennsylvania to expanding a children’s art museum in Arizona. We approach every project as a learning environment to support, promote, and encourage meaningful learning behaviors through good design.Most of our projects are for museums, yet this year we opened a Center for Excellence for Morgan Advanced Materials in Hayward, a new maker space for Woodland Public Library, completed a comprehensive master plan for San Mateo County Libraries, and designed an interactive literacy based children’s museum for Rancho Cucamonga Public Library. This May, the Oakland Public Library will reveal an electric mobile library we designed. Stay tuned for the big reveal. Click here for details.

If you haven’t noticed in your own work, maker spaces are the all rage in ours. Similar to high school home economics and wood shop of years past, maker spaces include desktop CNC routers, laser cutters, 3D printers, computerized sewing machines with technology throughout. What is different are the diverse uses such as drop-in activities, informal programs, classes, demonstrations and/or corporate rental space for participants ranging in age from early childhood to seniors. Gyroscope was architect of record for building renovations as well as for interior fit-out, custom furniture and graphic design for Woodland’s Square One Maker Space.

Three blocks from our studio is the Jack London Square Amtrak station so taking the train back and forth to Santa Barbara while working on MOXI, the Wolf Museum of Exploration and Innovation was great fun.  Fodors ranked it number six of the top ten new museums in the country for 2017. Although not an architectural award, it recognizes the high level of visitor satisfaction for which we are incredibly proud. Our work focused on visitor experience planning, exhibition design and graphics. Click here for details.

One of the most photographed exhibits there is our White Water interactive installation featured on the roof with views to the ocean and mountains. It is a spectacular setting and lots of fun for all ages, although a very challenging design. For projects like these, we are lucky to get private tours of amazing companies such as FLIR, a local Santa Barbara company that makes high-end infrared equipment for both military and civilian uses. We incorporated their equipment on the roof for families to view heat prints of the buildings along State Street. Other incredible field trips took us to a maglev engineering research group, a tele-medicine robot manufacturer, a renewable energy start-up harvesting ocean waves, and a working Foley Studio at Fox Studios.

People always ask us what we do. It’s hard to describe, but we definitely have fun. Staff loves that it is different every day. Tim Phillips, one of the owners, is shown washing out 96 cans of chopped tomatoes for a prototype. The final installation is slated for a new building in Jack London Square. Check it out!

For more information, contact Maeryta A. Medrano, AIA, LEED AP at maeryta@gyroscopeinc.com
Gyroscope Founder & President, 283 4th Street; Suite 201; Oakland, CA 94607

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