the Project stats

the Project study

Though a significant portion of the budget encompasses boiler & HVAC upgrades, major renovations will improve circulation and expand the viewing areas from which exhibits can be seen. Finishes will be updated throughout, and a larger commercial kitchen will be installed. Separation walls will be removed or renovated to contain multiple windows, each central toward creating a more inviting interior design.

The Pendulum Lounge’s concentric circular floors will feature ramps, allowing visitors to experience each level of the Center without an elevator or stairs. Its entrance will be relocated and an escalator removed, effectively rerouting exterior traffic and enabling a more consistent visitor experience; patrons coming through the new entry will pass the giftshop, the Hall of Ideas, and lower-level exhibits.

Walls separating multiple studios from the venue’s Lecture Hall will be removed and the ceiling opened to the first floor. Displays and exhibits will replace the studios’ current location adjacent to the Lecture Hall. The flooring of the main lobby will be removed, allowing views of the lower-level exhibits upon arrival.

Window installations and an outdoor patio addition will occur on the west side of the building’s “D Wing”. The D Wing’s ground floor houses several offices; its future features studios and educational areas.

A stairwell addition will allow access to the D Wing’s basement, which will ultimately house the venue’s “Black Box Theater” with flexible seating. The basement’s flood damage includes FEMA Repair and Hazard Mitigation combined with infrastructure upgrades, as well as installation of backflow preventers and flood doors.