Roto, a leading planning & design-build firm, has announced the official launch of Prototype: The Experimental Museum in downtown Columbus, Ohio.
This unique, 30,000-square-foot cultural laboratory opened to the public on 1 November and aims to advance the art and science of museum experiences.
Joseph Wisne, founder and chief creative officer of Roto, says: "Opening Prototype isn’t the end of a project; it’s the beginning of an ongoing experiment.
"We’re exploring how museums can evolve at the pace of both technology and culture, and what happens when visitors are invited to shape that process."
Intertwining technology, design & emotion
Prototype v1.0 marks the first in a continually evolving series of experiments investigating how technology, design, and emotion combine to create impactful human connections.
Its inaugural programme features partnerships with BalletMet, Champaign Aviation Museum, and Meimage Dance (Taiwan), alongside artists, technologists, and engineers from Roto.
Created for curious adults, the venue encourages guests to explore six immersive "stages" complete with interactive media, kinetic light, projection, and audio.
Every experience seeks to test audience behaviour, generate conversation, and push the boundaries of what museums can be, before evolving in response to real-world feedback.
Visitors are guided through a semi-sequential experience that builds, like a film, from a bold introduction (Stage 1) through a series of increasingly immersive and theatrical stages (2 to 5), culminating in Stage 6, the museum’s main space.
Stage 6, a 150-foot-wide projection theatre powered by six 30,000-lumen projectors, 48 million pixels, and 36 cinematic speakers, immerses audiences in sound and light on a vast scale. At its centre, a full bar promotes connection, conversation, and reflection following each experience.
Sharing insights
As the venue evolves, each iteration will present new works, updates, and collaborations, with every exhibit functioning as a prototype tested with audiences, refined through their insights, and reimagined for the next edition.
Dana Russell, partner and VP of brand and culture at Roto, says: "Every installation at Prototype is both a finished work and an open question.
"We’re blending art, media, and experimentation to learn how people connect — and to share those insights back with the museum field."
Furthermore, Prototype: The Experimental Museum serves as Roto’s live research and development platform.
This physical lab provides a space for the company's interdisciplinary teams to experiment with new interpretive tools, media systems, and storytelling techniques in a real-world environment. These findings will then guide Roto’s future projects across museums, zoos, aquariums, and attractions.
Roto soft-launched Prototype in the autumn, and lifted its dramatic art façade into position in early September.
