The SUE Store

In conjunction with the launch of its exhibit of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossil skeleton ever discovered (named “SUE” for its discoverer, Sue Hendrickson), the Field Museum engaged us to create a unique setting for a variety of dinosaur-inspired and SUE-branded merchandise. Sparks’ designers worked on developing a merchandising framework within a minimum-size area on a balcony adjacent to the main hall. The result was an 850-square-foot space plan scheme that would accommodate peak traffic flow from the exhibit directly through the SUE Store without creating a bottleneck condition. We chose a theme inspired by the materials and techniques found on archeological site structures and laboratories.

Sparks’ designers were challenged to design for rapid assembly and least intrusion to the architecture of the museum’s balcony hall location. Our designers utilized a tiered modular space frame to define the simple open plan configuration, to form a framework for mounting merchandising panels without building permanent walls, and to create a store with its own self-contained security. The framework is fabricated of extruded aluminum rails, which provided a structural framing system for the exterior walls of the store and an open grid ceiling to mount overhead lighting, graphic panels, and an abstract mobile of dinosaur bones. Merchandise panels are shelved or hung on metal grid backs for versatility. Loose fixturing was designed to be mobile and for ease in frequent restocking (the store was to be fully restocked up to three or four times per day). The flooring selected was a modular carpet tile for easy replacement in high-traffic areas, and its design featured abstract Tyrannosaurus rex bones.

To complement the architectural integrity of the museum’s interior architecture, our designers chose to position the tiered space frame as a freestanding structure that does not touch permanent walls and ceilings, resulting in a floating effect within the balcony location. Sparks’ designers incorporated the SUE logotype and dinosaur bone motifs as visual communications, reinforcing the dinosaur theme.