The Tall Buildings website accompanied the exhibition held at MoMA QNS in the summer of 2004. One of the primary questions was how the experience of the website could complement the experiences provided by the physical show and the printed catalog, while at the same time using the interactive medium to provide something unique, especially to visitors who would not be able to attend the show in New York.

Our approach at For Office Use Only emphasizes the role of concept development. We do not start projects by tackling potential final solutions; rather, we look for basic ideas, research, prototypes, studies, tests. We look to present the client—in this case, MoMA—our strategic thought process, our approach to the problem, and we hope the client engages us in a collaborative dialogue. In that way, a foundation of ideas and trust is established, in which the client understands that our approach is a result of how well we’ve listened to them.

The Tall Buildings website focused on providing a comparative analysis of the 25 exhibition buildings, along with the greater technological, social and cultural contexts they were designed within. Our goal was to “dimensionalize” these buildings—to present them not just as buildings of great height, but also as buildings that address very relevant contemporary issues, such as public versus private space, green technologies, emergency escape routes and how buildings meet the ground.  

The Tall Buildings site attracted nearly 200,000 unique visitors in its first few months and became the second-most-visited link on the MoMA.org website during the exhibition. The site was featured in several news programs on TV and radio and in print articles, and has garnered nearly every major interactive design award for 2004.