Here, the bottom of Everbright’s frame sits 32 inches above the floor, which is a bit too high.
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Mounting Height Recommendations
Mounting height is much more individualized than you might think. Below are several examples to show you what other customers have done for mounting height, and why they made that choice.
For Children and Families
After much research and field observations, our recommendations for kids is to mount the bottom of the frame 12 to 18 inches above the floor, with 12 inches being appropriate for primarily younger kids, and 18 inches to include older kids. This also allows people in wheelchairs to reach the lower row of dials, while older children will be able to reach the upper rows.
Their primary audience is older kids, and the museum wanted to engage the parents, particularly the dads.
We recommend mounting the board no higher than 27 inches above the floor. Because the Everbright’s depth is 5.25 inches, you can be ADA compliant by mounting it at 27 inches or lower.
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Alternatively, you can mount it in a recess of some kind.
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This height is much more accessible at 12 inches above the floor.
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Their primary users are 2-5-year olds, with elementary kids on the weekdays.
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It made sense for them because this is the perfect height for a 3-year-old to stroll on up start creating.
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Many spaces are intergenerational, so consider portable steps so younger kids can reach the upper dials, while older kids and adults can access the board with ease.
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This board is mounted approximately 18 inches above the floor inside a library.
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This one is a bit lower, approximately 12 inches above the floor, also inside of a library children’s area.
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We do not recommend mounting it lower than 12 inches above the floor.
This low mounting height forces older kids to take a knee to reach those lower dials. It can also make the lower dials vulnerable to kicking. They’re durable, but we don’t want to invite problems.
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Consider how many people of different ages you’re expecting at once.
Little ones visit with their families—8-year-olds, 36-year-olds, grandparents, people in wheelchairs. The Everbright’s 4-foot height is tall enough to accommodate everyone in the same vertical plane.
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Anyone who interacts with children knows they have low requirements for personal space.
When presented with the opportunity to engage in open-ended creative play, they often cluster together, forming alliances and spontaneously collaborating to turn all dials to a specific color.
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People cluster up in the same space, along the same column of dials, at different heights.
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Here’s the same photo cropped to show how many of this group would be able to interact simultaneously on the Everbright Mini (18 dials across, 14 dials down).
As you can see, 7 children are actively engaged in one 4.5’x4′ space.
If they had mounted the Everbright a few inches lower, it would be accessible to even more users at once. (This installation was mounted 32 inches above the floor.)
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People will often reach in from the sides, so that even in one vertical plane, you can have multiple users.
The Everbright Mini allows older children to create designs such as a horse, butterfly, or tree.
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Even when users are 3 years and younger, their parents will accompany them, and will appreciate the ability to turn dials without having to bend over or take a knee.
The toddler turns the bottom rows, while the dad turns the top rows.
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A toddler and her father are both able to play at the same time on the Everbright Mini—until she wanders off. (She returned several times that day.)
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These portable steps allow younger children to reach most of the rows, and can be pulled away for times when older groups want to engage.
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(Smoky Hill Library in Arapahoe Libraries, CO).
Here are some videos to provide additional context on how children like to use the Everbright:
https://theeverbright.com/moments
Download the installation guides and other documentation.
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You might want to take some blue painters tape at some point and tape off the wall using the dimensions of the board to get a sense of how low or high you would like to mount it, and what feels right. For ADA compliance, you don’t want to mount it the bottom frame any higher than 27 inches.
For Adults
Unlike most artwork, the Everbright is tactile and interactive—every dial is designed to turn easily using the hands, by people of all ages, heights, and abilities. (Even those without use of their hands.) While eye level is relevant, the more critical number for the Everbright is actually shoulder height—and arm length.
The Everbright Mini and the Everbright Classic are both 47.24 inches high. Fourteen rows of dials comprise 43.52 of those inches. The average person’s shoulder height of 53.8 inches (source: www.firstinarchitecture.co.uk/average-male-and-female-dimensions/) will fall at almost exactly the middle of the board (8 rows up from the bottom, if the board is mounted 27 inches above the floor).
This puts half the board within their upper reach, and half the board within their lower reach, for the average person. When we keep in mind that the board is designed to be interactive—each dial is meant to be turned, and people will want to turn them—27 inches above the floor turns out to be a very good mounting height. The midpoint of the board falls at the average adult’s shoulder height.
Some companies build a slight recess into the wall.
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A deep recess should allow with plenty of room on the top and bottom for ventilation. Alternatively, you can leave the back completely open for ventilation and service access.
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This recess doesn’t leave a lot of room for ventilation, but it is mounted into a screen-wall with perforated holes that serve as ventilation.
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We can design an aluminum panel system that integrates right into the wall, with no need for an exterior box or frame. This Everbright would be approximately 3.75 inches deep (but only the dials would emerge from the wall—.75 inches deep), and it would rest inside of a 3-inch ledge created by an opening in the wall.
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The Everbright panels can mount into a 3″ ledge created by an opening in the wall along all four sides. The Everbright mounts directly into this opening using an aluminum framework.
The green represents the framework that is attached to the perimeter of the opening in the millwork.
The blue represents the framework that will be integrated as a part of the Everbright’s panel itself.
The blue framework slides into and securely attaches to the green framework, which is secured to the perimeter of the 3″ ledge on all four sides.
The Everbright panel slides onto and into the wall and through the framework.
This might make sense if the area is under construction and you have some flexibility in how you design the wall.
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If you consider users in wheelchairs, (average shoulder height of 35 inches, average reach of 33 inches) then a mounting height of 27 inches still gives even wheelchair users plenty of rows to turn and to enjoy.
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While you could mount the board higher so that more of it is at eye level, in a public space for people who want to turn every dial, 27 inches seems about right.
(The board in this photo is mounted a bit too high.)
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This is better.
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This is another good height for mixed ages to include adults.
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