Innovative Aspects of the Plan
The San Francisco Museum and Historical Society has approached the Mint Project as an opportunity to innovate history education and make history more meaningful.Reflecting San Francisco's well earned reputation for innovation, the Mint Project seeks to integrate innovations throughout the building's design and operational approach.
Image courtesy of HOK
Examples include:
New Paradigm for History Education
In an effort to make history and culture more relevant, engaging and fun, the Mint Project will introduce a number of new learning approaches. These include:
- Diversity - Allow visitors to experience the past from different perspectives (e.g., Irish, Italian, Chinese, Jewish, Youth)
- Case Studies - Take contemporary issues (e.g. scarcity of water) and link them to how they were solved in the past
- Story Lab - Connect the past of every family to important historic events and happenings
- Alternate Reality - Explore such issues like "What would the Bay Area be like if the Gold Rush had not occurred?"
Earned Income-Focused Business Model
Implement a viable business model that creates multiple, independent earned-income centers for the Mint. They will generate revenues to cover at least 85% of the operating costs - in many years they will break-even or generate a surplusInnovative Environmental Sustainability
The Mint Project aspires to achieve LEED Platinum certification becoming the first National Historic Landmark in the United States to achieve this level. When operational, we aim to be as close to carbon neutral as possible.Advanced Technologies
Incorporate new customer service technologies (where possible from the Bay Area) that unknowingly enhance the visitor experience. Current plans include:
- Smart Phone Platform - Integrated informational layer of the exhibits enabling multi-lingual support, diversity of perspective, geographical tools and access to archival resource materials
- E-Ticketing System - Extend this application beyond streamlined operations to become a membership benefit that ties to the Gateway concept.
- Telepresence - Add video conferencing capabilities to event programs allowing personalized virtual tours of historic places, innovative research, etc.