Three-story steel-framed addition with large atrium to house children’s adventure center, new exhibits, and amenities. Renovation of mill building. LEED Gold. 27,000 sf.

Weidlinger Associates was the structural engineer for a 23,000 square-foot three-story steel-framed addition to the Boston Children's Museum that included an atrium with glazed skylight The expansion and renovation was the largest in the museum's 93-year history and its first major project since moving to historic Fort Point Channel in 1979. The building and site design incorporated sustainable design elements, including the use of green materials and a green roof. More than 50,000 square feet of space in the museum’s historic warehouse were also renovated to provide a new theater and exhibition space. Structural alterations were required for the renovation of the six-story, brick and heavy timber-framed mill building to expand its footprint and create a new indoor/outdoor campus with safe access to the water’s edge that provides a HarborWalk, Outdoor Learning Center and Adventure Zone with climber and Milk Bottle Plaza, as well as ticketing, restaurant, and other dining spaces.

The addition (named the New Balance Center) accommodates a 30-foot high climbing structure, as well as KidPower, an innovative exhibition devoted to encouraging active and healthy lifestyles. The renovated warehouse building---named the Yawkey Center for Children and Learning ---provides new versions of old favorites, such as Bubbles and Raceways; and new access to the museum’s famous cultural exhibitions - the Japanese House, Boston Black; and a light-filled Art Studio, as well as the new art deco Shapiro KidStage for professional plays and musicals.

Completion Date: 2007
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Owner or Client: Boston Children's Museum
Prime Consultant(s): Cambridge Seven Associates