The Museum of Tolerance Los Angeles’ new Claudia and Nelson Peltz Social Lab is an incredibly immersive 10,000-sf interactive gallery experience, designed by our Yazdani Studio, that builds on the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s (SWC) mission to inspire people to take action against racism, bigotry and anti-Semitism.

The Social Lab features 15 distinct spaces that bring the SWC’s remarkable content to life. The spaces promote tolerance and inclusion on different scales — starting with individual biases, to local issues, national conflicts and global crises — highlighting the interconnectivity.

Technology infuses the Social Lab and presents the center’s message in myriad forms. Translucent “veils” made of metal coils suspended from the ceiling help divide exhibits and are perfect backdrops for film projection. Elsewhere, LED touch-screen panels outline tolerance and diversity (or lack thereof) from different eras in American history. This technology recharges the lab’s purpose and allows the museum to evolve and adapt content over time.

In every instance, the new Social Lab cross-pollinates messages and themes from other areas of the museum and modernizes the experience. The design team brought great attention to each unique exhibit in the lab — the POV Cafe’, the Forum, the Global Tolerance Center, etc. — and ensured a seamless, enjoyable visitor flow.