The Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pavilion, a 53,000-sf south addition, reflects the largest and most significant expansion in the science museum’s nearly 200-year history.
Located adjacent to the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial, the three-story addition houses an expanded education center, conference center, a new permanent exhibit about the human brain, and expanded gallery space for traveling exhibits.
Keast & Hood provided structural engineering for the steel-framed addition, including a full basement containing mechanical equipment, a two-story atrium on the north side to embrace the historic 1934 museum façade, a vegetated green roof, and components of the interior exhibits. An exterior Shimmer Wall by artist Ned Kahn highlights the design. Comprised of 10,824 squares of clear anodized aluminum, the installation drapes the façade and creates an ever-changing public work of art that responds to wind and sunlight. Keast & Hood designed a lightweight structure to support the wall away from the building face using a 3D grid of stainless steel members.
The Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pavilion, a 53,000-sf south addition, reflects the largest and most significant expansion in the science museum’s nearly 200-year history.
Located adjacent to the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial, the three-story addition houses an expanded education center, conference center, a new permanent exhibit about the human brain, and expanded gallery space for traveling exhibits.
Keast & Hood provided structural engineering for the steel-framed addition, including a full basement containing mechanical equipment, a two-story atrium on the north side to embrace the historic 1934 museum façade, a vegetated green roof, and components of the interior exhibits. An exterior Shimmer Wall by artist Ned Kahn highlights the design. Comprised of 10,824 squares of clear anodized aluminum, the installation drapes the façade and creates an ever-changing public work of art that responds to wind and sunlight. Keast & Hood designed a lightweight structure to support the wall away from the building face using a 3D grid of stainless steel members.
CLIENT: SaylorGregg Architects
LOCATION: Philadelphia, PA
TYPE: Cultural, SERVICES: Addition, MATERIALS: Concrete, Steel, SUSTAINABILITY: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Completed project photography © Tom Crane. Construction shots courtesy of The Franklin Institute
