A new chapter has begun for the Moody Family Children’s Museum at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. It has partnered with Amsterdam-based NorthernLight on a significant transformation that will nearly double the size of the children’s museum and enhance its ability to teach STEM concepts through play.
The redesign marks the first project in the United States for design firm NorthernLight. Bruns has been selected as general contractor.
Enhancements include an expanded toddler area, a creative makery, and a larger outdoor area with a programmed waterfall. There are also plans to partner with Children’s Health for an immersive imaginarium that will introduce interactive and multisensory experiences. Additionally, improvements include a new climbing structure by globally renowned artist Toshiko MacAdam.
Although the museum will physically expand—from 6,259 square feet to 11,000—it will also grow in terms of the audience it serves. It currently targets children ages 1 to 5 but will extend to age 7 upon opening. Improvements will leverage state-of-the-art tech and international design principles focused on connecting children to STEM learning via play.
Images of the forthcoming space were previewed at a Wednesday evening dinner hosted at the museum. “The redesign continues the Perot Museum’s founding vision to deliver cutting-edge science education to children and families in our community,” said Linda Silver, Eugene McDermott CEO of the Perot. “For more than a decade, we have been inspired by the children and families who have grown with us. The renovation to the Moody Family Children’s Museum ensures our visitors will never outgrow the Perot.”
The new version of the museum is slated to open next May. The current Children’s Museum will close in January for renovations, with popular activities from the existing museum remaining resuming mid-month.
Mike Spiewak, the museum’s vice president of exhibitions and operations, said the goal was to stay away from more prescriptive exhibits. “We really wanted to focus on creativity,” he said. “And as we looked out across that sea of exhibit designers out there, what we saw with NorthernLight is some of the different projects they’ve worked on around the world. Visually, it felt like it was the right place, and we went over and traveled, met with the design team, spent about two days with them to understand their processes and their ethos, and it very much felt like that was the right connection for us.”
Previous NorthernLight projects include the Artificial Intelligence Pavilion in Germany and the Ricola Experience in Switzerland. The company prides itself on being able to find the “urgency in a project” and to translate it into a story for audiences.
Exploration, discovery, creativity, and wonder served as key words during the design process, Spiewak said. “It’s about being able to have that autonomy, of being able to go and discover without fear of being wrong, and knowing that here at the museum, it is important for us to create a safe space for that happening.”
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