The Hamilton Building is difficult to 'see', particularly from the square.
If this building is to become distinct, it must capture attention through a variety of means, such as verticality, striking color and materials, movement, and the contrast of shapes and shadows. Put the Museum's bustling activity and entry in clear view. Let there be no question about where to enter. Create a distinct icon for the Museum by shaping the empty space above the Historic building. Consider fun and unexpected elements that speak to the curiosity of children. Expand elements of the building beyond the footprint to further intrigue and draw in Visitors.
The Capitol is the elephant in the room. The historic Hamilton building recognized this by placing its front door in clear relationship with the Capitol and its north/south axis (Hamilton Street)
Re-establish the historic entrance as the Museum's new front door. Take full advantage of the large historic storefront window dimensions to penetrate the building envelope and reach out to the street.
The Hamilton building does not jump out and insist upon the attention of passing motorists or pedestrians.
Reach out to Dayton Street through architecture. If we cannot physically build all the way to the street consider other opportunities to imply a connection. Color changes, contrast, and integrated signage can also bring the building into focus.
Though there are numerous windows facing the surrounding roadways, a distinct disconnect exists between the building's interior activity and any life on the street. As a pedestrian, it is difficult to see into the building and along the parking structure, the life of the sidewalk dramatically drops off.
Consider the entire site the Museum. A strong way to bring life to a building is to assure that no sidewalk is overlooked. Let the life of the museum spill out onto the sidewalks. Let the architecture reach out and provide shelter where it is needed and views where it is propitious. Provide a way for the Museum to have a continuous presence on all the sidewalks bounding the site.
The perceived Civic entrance is on the opposite side of the building from the main parking lot, posing a conflict as to the location of the Main Entrance. Can this lead to architectural schizophrenia?
Establish a single dynamic front entry that becomes part of the MCM's identity in the community and region. Provide icons and signage as well as outdoor exhibits that instinctively direct patrons to the main entry point, (such as children's footprints imbedded in the concrete leading to the entry from all corners of the site). Make it very clear from every direction that the main entrance to the Museum is on the Capitol Square.
There is a genuine need for outdoor space and a meeting place at the MCM, a safe, green, stress-reduced site.
Close-off the east end of Pinckney Street to create outdoor space for pedestrians and the Museum-goer alike. Creating a park-like atmosphere that visually connects to the Capitol Square and truly announces the Museum's presence.
The historic Hamilton building is visually unassuming and blends into its surroundings. If restored historically, its visual impact may not match up well with the intended MCM vision, which is quite dynamic. Likewise, revising the historic structure to be more visually dynamic could very easily compromise its original design intent.
Create a sharp contrast between the added design elements and the historical structure. Design improvements so that the existing less colorful building acts as a backdrop, yet, integrates with new. Add features to the building exterior such as awnings and art that soften the building and provide shelter and warmth from the street.
The size and configuration of the building and property make all faces of the building visible to surrounding streets and buildings.
A children's museum should be a smile on all faces…a smile and a wink with perhaps even a giggle or two. All of these faces must relate to one another as members of a family; similar in resemblance, yet distinct in their character. They should all have their own story. Each face should be studied for its specific relationships to its surroundings. Make a strong connection to the Capitol and its street life. Let architectural elements reach out to the streetscape and invite the action inside. Help the building turn the corner so that it acts as a strong anchor for the square.
The Hamilton building has no directly south-facing walls. A sunless space feels cold and closed-in on itself.
Since there are few direct south-facing windows, treat them as gold. Allow sunlight to penetrate into the building. Treat all other existing windows in the building in a way that they admit the good qualities of the sun and limit its destructive ones. Capture the sun by installing photovoltaics on the north half of the roof and/or the north end of the site.
The Hamilton building is inwardly oriented with little connection to the outside world. The building currently gives a very wrong impression about what might happen inside once it becomes the Children's Museum.
Let no space be overlooked. Every rooftop, sidewalk, window, etc. is an opportunity to grab outdoor space for programs, exhibit enhancement, wayfinding, etc. Let the indoor and outdoor space flow as seamlessly as possible one to the other, to the point that they expand the perceived size of both. Let the outdoors be visually accessible wherever possible. Plan exhibit space that takes Visitors outside and brings them back in. Push the Museum out and outside in. Close off the east end of Pinckney Street (Pattern #6), this space serves as outdoor play area, event space, and creates activity around the Museum.
Unfortunately our culture tends to see rainwater as a waste product: piping, storing, and treating it as though it were sewage.
Highlight rain and water as a feature. Use innovative storm water management wherever possible. Reinforce the connection of water and earth as educational exhibits that can be linked and traced throughout the site.
The closest major bus stops are on the Capitol Square. Secondary stops are located farther away on Dayton and on Webster.
Create a strong visual connection from bus stops to the Museum. Consider signage and pathways that reinforce the connection. Make the closest bus stop the 'Children's Museum' stop, name it that, change its physical identity.
A safe and efficient drop-off location for school buses, passenger loading, lift-gate vans, etc. must be a vital part of the Museum entry sequence.
Activity, Activity, Activity! Locate a bus drop-off and loading zone at the Hamilton Street main entrance ('the point') allowing groups direct access from the buses to the building without crossing the street. In addition, bus activity on Hamilton will create additional street life.
Typical construction and demolition practices produce the majority of material going into today's landfills.
Unnecessary import of materials will be minimized and as much waste as possible will be diverted from landfills. Suppliers will be requested to minimize the wrapping and packaging of materials, equipment, and furniture sent to the job site. Dumpsters on site will be segregated and labeled based on waste material sorting methods. Constant reminders and pre-construction training will be conducted by the Construction Manager to educate the tradesmen and suppliers regarding the recycling practices in place.
The views to the Hamilton building from neighboring high-rise residents are sub-standard.
Study all of the views onto and into the building by its neighbors. If a Roof Garden is introduced, see that it has year-round appeal from all directions.
The Hamilton building currently has little opportunity to facilitate large outdoor events. If large Museum-sponsored outdoor events can't be serviced well by the Museum facilities, the extra cost and effort resulting from the mismatch will drain staff enthusiasm and support.
Proper breathing room around the Museum is essential for events and other functions. Work with the City to close off Pinckney Street to through traffic. Turn the end of the street closest to Capitol into green space. Closing off Pinckney Street for large events allows for ample space and access to the front door, and parking. Provide the proper facilities on the first floor to support Pinckney Plaza events.
There is a need to provide an accessible entrance directly from the parking structure into the Museum without compromising the prominence of the Civic Entrance.
Install a new passenger elevator linking only the parking levels to the Civic Concourse. Make this way clear from the parking areas, but not necessarily obvious from public street and sidewalk areas. Utilize the volume, surface, and vertical assent of the elevator cab as an exhibit opportunity.
Future expansion of the Museum and/or Arts Partners on the current property is contemplated. The location of new utilities, Stair Tower and Freight Elevator will have an impact on the quality of a future addition to the west of the current building.
Choose which sides of the existing building are the most 'open' to a latent addition. Make certain that this open side remains as open as possible during Phase One without hampering its essential nature. Insure that the new elevator and stair tower remain useful in configurations of possible new additions.
The current Museum on State Street has no internal visual anchor. The new Museum will need a place that acts as an internal landmark to avoid the circulation system becoming a maze. The second floor at State Street is not intuitive, many first-time Museum Visitors are not aware it exists.
Create a strong sense of orientation and comfort by giving all exhibit space and perhaps most staff space a visual, if not physical access to a landmark element within or outside of the building. Consider one landmark element that connects the space throughout the whole building, either metaphorically or visually.
Refitting space for new exhibits can be expensive, especially if it involves the regular demolition and construction of hard walls, fixed lighting, plumbing and HVAC. On the other hand, when a museum is designed for maximum flexibility to minimize the high cost of refitting, the resulting 'look' can resemble a warehouse with exhibits piled up in it.
Place large, permanent or long-term exhibits in a prominent central core position within the exhibit space where they can contribute to wayfinding. Let the architectural elements be tall and defining of the permanent core. Then place smaller, changeable exhibits along the periphery. Preferably change the architectural scale at the periphery to make pockets for traveling exhibits. Just as in a tornado of activity, the periphery has objects moving in and out of it constantly without loosing the overall form of the cyclone.
The relatively small size of the current Museum makes wayfinding fairly straightforward. How can this informal, unguided feel transfer into the new location?
Expand on the preconceived notion of how wayfinding can occur. Use all of the senses to guide the user: color, light, texture, smell, and movement.
The Hamilton building does not have operable windows.
The MCM will employ natural ventilation strategies. Strive to make every window operable in the staff areas. In public areas, consider operable windows up high so that control of its operation is not relinquished to a four-year old. The staff must be dedicated to the efficient operation and responsible use of operable windows. If this seems out of the realm of possibilities, then automatic controls should be considered; ventilation sensors that would advise about optimal efficiency; automatic controls coupled with the HVAC system to make them work in concert.
Everyone who works at the Museum should have a spirit of play imbued in their work, regardless of job responsibilities.
Locate Wacky Bunkers as a vehicle to allow for creative thinking, reminders, and instigators to the creative process. The idea of pervasive fun should touch all staff areas. Wacky Bunkers should be located in the heart of the interconnected network of Staff space so they are traveled through frequently, they should not be enclosed rooms. Wacky Bunkers should include: plenty of wall surface area for writing, tacking, or creating art; resources such as images and articles; toys…such as juggling balls, anything that inspires the instinct to play and think differently.
Current staff departments are all located directly off of exhibit spaces, causing staff concentration problems as well as caregiver discomfort. Caregivers have expressed concern over their children bothering staff in offices.
Gradients of office space will range from total isolation, moderate isolation, and interactive. Departments with little interaction with the public should be located further away from exhibit space. Departments with closer ties to the visitors and exhibits should be located with direct views and access to the Museum exhibit space. Provide staff with the means to open or close their spaces to the public as necessary. Establish clear buffers between staff and public areas (Pattern #41 Departmental Front Porches).
The current exhibit workshop at Hamilton is inadequate to accommodate the needs of the Museum, however, a lofty workshop addition is not contemplated for Phase 1.
Look for ways to introduce abundant daylight into the first floor, perhaps a generous garden-like window well. Possibly connect to the taller basement via a materials lift.
An exhibit environment that is too precious, too 'perfect' creates a feeling (especially in adults) that one must be very careful to not upset things. Caregivers of young children are typically quite uptight under these conditions. This uneasy feeling is quickly transferred to the child's experience, often in the form of a cascade of 'no's'.
Avoid highly polished, precisely formed design elements that will look ruined if scratched or crayoned over. Many hands will touch many surfaces, so everything from the floor to about 4 feet should be “hands on”. Likewise, flexible surfaces that can handle a toddler falling down face first or a toy being thrown into it are helpful. The entire Museum cannot be “nurfed” so plan some spaces specifically to contain the more rough activity and others that will keep the playful disorder to a cleanable level. Place active areas first, then quieter more cerebral/localized task spaces.
If all meeting spaces are roughly the same size and similar in character, they will prove inefficient and uninspiring over time.
Integrate opportunities for meeting spaces throughout the Museum ranging from intimate nooks to speak to an individual to full Staff or Board meetings of up to 30. Give each meeting space an individual character and ambiance. Name the spaces so that their character can be easily matched to the member who will use it. For example; the “Capitol Room,” offering a stately room with a wonderful view of the Capitol.
Museums tend to hide their building systems and construction, loosing the opportunity to make the building an education tool.
Expose structural, HVAC, and plumbing systems where possible. Create exhibits with appropriately located windows into these systems. Provide visual reference for how the building is performing environmentally. This would include monitoring light levels, CO2 levels, temperature, time of day/year, sound levels, vibration, outdoor/indoor variations, etc. The more sustainable the building systems and materials - the more effective and integrated this solution.
A roof garden can easily feel disconnected from the rest of the Museum if access is only by an elevator or enclosed stairway.
Connect visually to the Roof Garden by allowing pedestrians to see it from the street and the exhibit areas of the Museum. Tie it prominently to the Landmark Locator and the main circulation system within the building. Consider using the water collection of the roof as an irrigation system. A beautiful, cared for garden of learning will keep the building connected to the Earth. Use the addition as an opportunity to provide additional roof garden terraces and a direct connection to the main roof garden.
No designated eating opportunities are present in the current Museum of any kind, except during special events.
Provide informal 'picnicking' for Visitors that allow for areas to sit on the floor on a blanket or at tables and gather with other Visitors and Staff. Locate one such food venue isolated from exhibits in the pay zone. Provide a secondary food venue in the Civic Concourse. Most importantly, these spaces should be conducive to relaxing and eating not running around, minimal stimulation.
Access to the elevators by all users must be physically straightforward, unfussy.
Confusion is not a desirable impression for any building user. Allow the elevators to be used by all. Locate a Reception area for Tenants and Staff in the Concourse at logical introduction point to the elevators. Locate the elevators in the pay zone. Don't forget elevators as an exhibit opportunity.
Consideration of the Museum under rental and event situations is important. How catering scenarios are considered will impact the general location of all event spaces from large to small.
Provide accommodations within the programmed Museum spaces that allow for rentals of the space without duplicating features or creating single-use spaces for events only, these amenities should be worked into other necessary rooms.
The current parking configuration allows traffic to cut through the parking lot, which will make it confusing to Visitors looking for parking, and unsafe for pedestrians who could be plowed down by someone cutting through the parking lot.
Create an environment in the upper parking lot only minimally friendly to the automobile. Restricted parking on the upper level to the northeast half of the lot. The southwest portion of the lot will house a new freight and passenger elevator (plus a workshop addition in the future), and shipping and receiving areas. Use the Hamilton Street entrance to the upper parking deck as both entrance and exit for Visitor's to the Museum.
Large groups entering the building at the Capitol 'point' entrance will result in an occasionally chaotic Civic Concourse (Pattern #35).
A single entry presence is key to the Museum's identity. Pre-planning for large group arrival can minimize their impact on others. Escorting large groups through the main entry directly to the Orientation space can minimize chaos and hangout time in the Civic Concourse. Key adjacencies will be the Civic Concourse, Ticketing, Vertical Access, and Orientation.
Crowded conditions upon entry to the State Street location send a discouraging message to visitors.
Establish a public space - a Civic Concourse (no-pay zone). Make the Concourse gracious. It should have civic proportions with plenty of unassigned breathing room. Let the space dance with light and activity. Support it with a Concourse Café (Pattern #68), the Reception (Pattern #46), the Speed Bump (Pattern #50) and a full array of Visitor Services.
Electrical and IT lines will need to be effective and flexible for exhibit access and modifications to exhibit locations over time.
Locate electrical and IT lines along the main column and beam grid-work. Locate lines in exposed conduit to allow for simplified connections to exhibits.
There is currently no freight elevator in the Hamilton building, but the building's success as a Museum is incumbent upon being able to get exhibits from floor-to-floor, from the workshop-to-exhibit floor, and from freight truck-to-exhibit floor.
Build a freight elevator off the back of the Hamilton building, that would connect all floors of the building, allow for easy loading and unloading of traveling exhibits off the parking lot, and not disrupt the flow of the Visitor experience.
The First Feats exhibit is a large part of the State Street location. Still, it feels undersized and under-equipped for its audience and its unique set of needs. Its location next to the front door makes it enticing for all kids, even those who are too old. Its placement next to the front door makes it easier for parents to worry about an escape, and too loud for the needs of the young audience.
Place the early childhood space in a place with lots of natural light, that is far from the front door, and separate from the bustle of the bigger visitors, but close enough to a few experiences for older kids so that parents coming with differently aged kids aren't running between floors to satisfy and keep track of their children. Make sure that amenities, like a family bathroom, a parent's room, a small parents resource library, a snack-all purpose room are all connected to the early childhood exhibit space.
If left to the end of the project, waste management becomes a liability rather than an opportunity.
Refuse can be fun! To learn new practices, create an exhibit-like experience surrounding waste, recycling, and the movement of refuse on the entire Museum site (interior and exterior). Expose this process while screening it from odors and contamination. Make an event out of trash pick-up day.
The current building does not visibly support commuting by bicycle.
Provide secure indoor parking of bikes, bikes with carriers, and wagons including a clean-up area for riders, and access to nearby bike paths. Consider showers, lockers, and signage that lead bikes in and out to the paths.
If the staff is sequestered within the Museum, out of contact with the daily goings-on in the exhibit areas, a kind of disconnect between staff and Museum vision can take place.
Departmental Porches or the 'Front Porch' concept is a spatial buffer and/or visual separation such as a lowered ceiling height, recessed wall, colonnade, or more literal design element that allows for an informal space separating the 'activity' space from that of 'solitude.' This would allow for staff to close themselves off from patrons in the heart of their work zone but allow for a buffer space for interaction and views of the exhibits or 'public street.'
With the ever-changing exhibits comes the need for Exhibit staging and changing space.
Provide wide spaces between major exhibits for flex space. Smaller, more mobile exhibits can be placed in this buffer space to allow this flexibility. Multi-use and shared program spaces can function as flex spaces on an as needed basis.
No 'formal' performance space exists as part of the Museum experience.
Consider a performance space that not only allows Visitors to be entertained and educated but to become the performers and educators - giving children a greater voice. This space needs to be a chameleon, adaptable for wide types of performance related activities with varied audiences.
Large groups require a space for orientation and gathering.
Setting the tone for the groups entire Museum experience, this space needs to not only function well, location is key. An energizing space that hints at the up-coming experience while providing enough seclusion and calming for Visitors to pay attention is critical.
If the exhibit spaces aren't seen from the Civic Concourse, then how can patrons see what they are paying for? People want to get a “feel” for what they are paying for before they actually get inside.
Design space so that enticing and dramatic exhibits are visible from the Concourse, above, to the right (and down the stairs) and straight-ahead, in the “pay zone.”
Tenants and other guests will need a single access point to the building with logical flow to their spaces. Guests will need to be announced to Staff and Tenants.
Make a distinct reception area in the Civic Concourse (Pattern #35) at the buffer between the pay and no-pay zones subservient to Ticketing. Make this space readily visible from the entry. Make it clear that this is for greeting and directing of Visitors by not confusing it with a Ticketing area. Locate this feature with a clear path to the elevators and a directory. This space should be welcoming and easy to find amongst the clearly Museum related features. Tenants should have an access to all Museum shared-use areas. Guests of tenants will need a check-in mechanism to obtain entry.
Ample space needs to be provided for the creation of artwork in a real-life studio setting.
An Art Studio should be located overlooking the Museum exhibit space. This space should have ample wall space and room to display a wide variety of supplies. The Art Studio should have good lighting, simple, easy to clean surfaces, and sinks for clean up and supplies.
The current Museum offers no space to perform hands-on, messy experiments.
Locate a dedicated Science Lab with views to the lake to demonstrate a connection to nature. Locate this space near the rooftop garden for efficient connections to outdoor space for gardening and other outdoor programs and experiments. Consider the space outside of the actual Museum as part of the laboratory environment.
The current Museum offers no space to perform hands-on, messy experiments.
Ticketing should feel as if you are entering a gateway to another world and place where lots of fun can be had. Locate a high-profile ticketing area as the main interface between the pay and no-pay zones. Intrigue all senses to attract attention. This space should be the focal point of the Civic Concourse but not immediately visible upon entering.
The Museum lacks a membership sales and services area. The current ticketing area also provides membership information, gift shop sales, program registration, and general assistance. During busy times at a new larger museum the Ticketing area risks becoming congested.
Create a small Membership Services/Information window into Visitor Services. During busier times, this area can provide the services listed above and relieve some of the activity from Ticketing. This window/feature should be closable when this area is not staffed.
Children tend to enter the front door of the Museum and 'take-off' like bullets to spaces beyond.
Without caregivers having to say a word, the Speed Bump grabs the child's attention and holds it just long enough. A check-in area can incorporate an exhibit or feature to hold children's attention (exhibit, large fish tank, stair, ramp, climbing apparatus, etc.). This space will need to be safe, within the view of busy caregivers, and act as a device to s-l-o-w down several children for a specific interval of time.
Coats left in a Lobby where anyone can get to them makes everyone a little uneasy about taking their coats off. Strollers need to be parked in a secure location.
Locate the Coat / Stroller Room inside the pay zone after the Ticketing Threshold. Provide oversized lockers for diaper bags, etc. Allow for efficient stroller parking in this area.
Caregivers (and often older accompanying children) have few places to sit, rest, and watch their charges play.
Sitting is underrated by youth. Create a caregiver area for resources, books, a place to meet other caregivers as well as place for children outside of the MCM target age group, and a place to simply sit. Caregivers must still have a view of the exhibit areas to observe their children and provide instruction.
Children and caregivers can become inundated and eventually overwhelmed by a constant barrage of noise and activity. If the Museum lacks quiet, restful areas where we can regain strength, rest, and regroup amidst their experience, the Museum visit may be shorter than planned and less meaningful.
Create many opportunities for rest within the Museum experience. Create small nooks in exhibit spaces, hallways, or make use of existing odd spaces, to create resting zones. Make sure these zones are quiet, by using appropriate lighting and sound absorbing materials.
Parents and caregivers often need an isolated space to breastfeed, change children who have had accidents, use the facilities, comfort a crying infant, etc. These activities can sometimes occur simultaneously! The current Museum does not provide a private multi-function room to fill this need.
Provide an adequately sized Comfort Zone Suite that includes an enclosed sitting room including a rocking chair, other comfortable seating, a small table, quiet light and some books and a nook with a large counter with two sinks. Connect this area directly to the Family Toilet Rooms each with their own kid and adult sized sinks and toilets as well as changing tables.
A dedicated First Aid station is an essential part of an interactive children's environment.
Locate a First Aid room in Visitor Services. Incorporate enough space for a comfortable place to lie down and the secure storage of basic supplies.
Parents need an appropriately sized space to change clothing, take multiple children to the restroom, or sequester an unusually discontent child.
Locate Family Toilet Rooms in a Comfort Zone Suite (Pattern #54) near the toddler area with additional one off of the Civic Concourse. Provide adult and child sized toilets and sinks as well as a changing table.
Toilet rooms need to function effectively, efficiently, and provide exhibit opportunities. Germ transfer needs to be minimized.
Incorporate child-size fixtures and concentrate on child usability while designing the Toilet Rooms. Design each toilet room to tell a different story, feature an exhibit, toilet room related theme.
Most staff members have a range in the kinds of work they are asked to accomplish. Some of it requires high degrees of interaction with fellow workers, while at other times needing isolation and quiet. Current offices are one-dimensional and cannot meet the needs of either kind of work very well.
Study each Staff member's functional needs and determine the kinds of public interaction required. Consider needs at different times of the day, during different events, and throughout the year. Let the skin of the office reflect the user's needs. Design flexibility into workplaces by being able to open and close them with respect to their current task.
Staff lacks an interesting, warm, comfortable, and inspired space to see each other informally on a regular basis, a place where ideas can be shared, problems discussed, and lunch shared. The current kitchenette is small and allows NO space for preparing food and gathering.
The Café should be a special, unique environment with views to the exhibit areas. Abundant, well-oriented windows with access to the outdoors play key roles in making the staff gathering place a memorable one. It must also house features that all staff utilizes on a daily basis, like mail pickup, coffee, copying, faxing, etc. thus encouraging the use of this space.
Memorable meeting spaces are few and far between. It would be tragic for the Museum not to have a few.
Great ideas are generated in inspiring spaces. Make the Magic Meeting space big enough for MCM Board meetings. Give it an outdoor component and a dramatic view (perhaps of the Lake or Capitol). Have windows on at least two sides with the ability to diffuse incoming sunlight.
Visitor feedback on the evolving design of an exhibit would be invaluable to the exhibit design staff. Current conditions do not allow such feedback from children and adults to be freely offered or heard.
Provide an area where feedback on evolving exhibit designs can be solicited at the discretion of the exhibit staff. Locate it just outside or near the exhibit workshop. The space should have ample drawing/marking surfaces, adjustable display lighting, and counter space. Oh, yes, and a curtain.
Visitor feedback on the evolving design of an exhibit would be invaluable to the exhibit design staff. Current conditions do not allow such feedback from children and adults to be freely offered or heard.
Like Alice stepping into the rabbit hole, children will enter a whole new world when entering the workshop. Give the Exhibit staff and its Rumpus Room the option to open up in varying degrees to Visitors. A mezzanine overlooking the Workshop (Pattern #25) can allow Visitor's to view the workshop without ever entering the power tool and dust danger zone; this space could double as the Rumpus Room (Pattern #58).
Free Range Creatives find it difficult to do their best work in space that is over-programmed, allowing no spontaneity of action or 'unassigned' activities.
A Lofty volume helps. Diffused and re-reflected light can keep the space buoyant. Use tough, non-precious materials that wear gracefully with age. Keep the room open enough to allow for rearrangement of furniture, tools, and toys. This space should not be 'designed', avoid all conceptual impositions.
Many children's museums have private birthday party rooms available for rent.
Children's parties speak to an atmosphere like none other, that of laughter, joy, and never ending fun! A Birthday Party Room should be limitless in how creative this space can be, this should be a truly rememberable experience.
No space exists at the current facility for the express use of volunteers.
Provide a Volunteer Lounge as a private area to regenerate and gather, locate this space directly off of the exhibit area. Do not separate this space from staff areas. Allow informal interaction with the staff.
If the 'Gift Shop' is centrally located in the new lobby, it will convey the wrong message to Visitors regarding the general intent of the Museum. On the other hand, if the gift shop is too out of the way, it won't function well from a retail sales perspective.
Make sure the Gift Shop is not the first thing you see when you enter the Concourse. Reduce its scale comparatively to other important features like the Reception (Pattern #46) and Ticketing areas (Pattern 48). It may be shielded by tables and chairs used for eating or waiting. Also consider connecting it with Appetizer Exhibits (Pattern #45).
MCM has a lack of dedicated Agricultural Education Space throughout the year. A rooftop garden will be difficult to use during all 12 months of the year, unless there is a structure built to protect young visitors as they experience the rooftop garden.
Planting and growing plants and food is the most direct way to stay connected to the Earth. Create a greenhouse-like garden pavilion that has the thermal properties of a conference room. Locate it within the Roof Garden so that it is surrounded by vegetation. Make it open up wide to the garden in nice weather, and visually connected to it during inclement weather. Line its exterior walls with shelves for plants and agricultural projects. Let each shelf have integrated, changeable signage that allows a child to label and take ownership of their creations geared towards agriculture, weather, urban ecology, etc.
Healthy snacks and beverages are in keeping with the mission of the Museum, and help support the Museum's Health Initiative in a very real and proactive way. Currently, no facility exists for this activity.
Provide limited food service (no vending machines) that can provide families with healthy snacks and lunch items. Connect this amenity to the street for easy access.
Currently, there is no place at the MCM for large groups to store their personal items and have lunch.
Large groups of children. Lots of laughter, talking, perhaps yelling. All of these things should be accepted as part of this experience, within reason. This simple space will be to act as a cocoon of activity while being visually connected to the actual Museum.
Spaces frequented by a wide range of children can easily become soiled. Surfaces will need to be cleaned regularly to prevent the spread of germs and allergens.
Easily accessible cleaning closets on all exhibit / program floors will be necessary to keep the Museum looking and feeling its best.
The disposal/storage of used diapers causes a major odor problem in the present Museum
Integrate smell containing disposal methods and toilet room air handling systems that minimize the impact of this disruptive feature.
Shop-created dust and noise do not mix well with the exhibit areas and Visitors.
Section off a portion of the Exhibit Department to act as a Mud Room. Connect it to any work area that may create dust and messes that can be tracked out to Public Areas. Provide (preferably) 2 sets of doors to seal off airborne particles. Utilize walk-off mats. Ceilings should be at least 12 feet in height. Have hand washing and shoe changing capacity in this room. Make sure this room has negative air pressure.
The current workshop area in the basement does not have enough room for crating and uncrating activities.
Create a space designated only for exhibits coming and leaving where they are crated and held until shipping or installation occurs. Locate it near the Exhibit Department.
A catering kitchen is necessary for the MCM to truly be a viable option as a rental venue for events.
Provide a basic catering kitchen as a component of the Concourse Café (Pattern 68).
For many visitors the parking structure will be their first impression of the Museum.
Fun, Fun, Fun! Every space on the Museum site must have elements that are fun and playful. Use the bleak canvas of the parking structure as an opportunity to add color, public art, texture, and signage. This space should scream “Look At Me, you know you want to park here!”
We have little idea how much energy we use.
Create the means by which every thing that a Visitor consumes, produces, or wastes is conveyed back to them. Couple this awful truth with options to learn how to be more sustainable.