The Discovery Children’s Museum was relocated to its new home upon completion of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. The museum is housed in a new, purpose-built facility on the Center’s southwest corner. We provided design services for the museum’s core and shell exterior.
The Discovery Children’s Museum’s exterior was completed in time for the opening of the adjacent Reynolds Hall and Boman Pavilion in March 2012. The museum itself became fully operational and open to the public a year later. The Discovery Children’s Museum, like the other two venues on the campus, was planned and designed to achieve LEED Certification or better.
The museum’s massing, fenestration and exterior details are designed with intentionally similarities to those of Reynolds Hall and Boman Pavilion as the museum forms the southern boundary of The Smith Center’s courtyard. Deco detailing tops cast-stone banding around the building’s base, visually connecting the Museum to Boman Pavilion to the north. Playfully patterned brick work surrounds the building’s signature glass opening above the primary entrance. The expansive glass allows ample natural light into the space while also giving passers-by a preview of the whimsical exhibits inside.
