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The Senate purchased 48 mahogany desks for its chamber in 1819, adding additional desks as new states joined the Union. To date, more than 1,600 senators have occupied these historic desks, including such luminaries as Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, Robert Taft, and John F. Kennedy
The US Senate, Office of the Sergeant at Arms, asked Redmon to design and develop an online exhibit to highlight the historical relevance and importance of the senate chamber desks. Often overlooked by visitors, each desk has a unique story to tell about the Senate and the individual senators who have used them.
Because the Senate changes members frequently, and sometimes desks change between sessions, the system needed to be dynamic and developed in a way that the Office of the Sergeant at Arms could make the modifications themselves.
The interactive Senate Chamber Map (driven by XML) lets users select a desk and location by either clicking directly on a desk in the map, or by selecting a Senators name from the scrolling list. Clicking on a desk reveals detailed information on the desks history; including photos, former occupants, and a Condition Report Schematic.
The Anatomy & Evolution of a Desk page allows users to view a 3D model of the desk from all sides. By clicking on the different parts, viewers learn more about the desks various components. Selecting points on the desks timeline animates the evolution process, showing the many advancements and enhancements that contribute to the senate desk of today.
The site relies heavily on a combination of XML-driven Flash, CSS-formatted HTML, and ColdFusion to provide an interactive presentation that can be easily updated by the client.
