American Museum of Natural History Discovery Room

New York, USA

Photo © Nathan Sayers

Culture

Architects: CDR Studio Architects PC

Year: 2001

The commission to design the Discovery Center for the American Museum of Natural History outlined a program for 2,500 ft² of interactive educational space representing all major sciences, from anthropology to astrophysics. The project consisted of joining three different spaces into a coherent event: a circular room with a 20-ft ceiling, the base of one of the 19th-century turrets, a long narrow rectangle of a space, and a mezzanine space that slips between the main stair and adjacent Hall.

The main level is organized primarily as object-based learning for children three to ten years of age; the mezzanine is also object-based, with advanced technological tools aimed at children ten years of age and older. Knitted together from disparate spaces, the design seeks to create an intimate and carefully choreographed learning experience within the large complex of the museum.