Kids Science Labs 02

Kids Science Labs 02
© Mike Schwartz
Kids Science Labs 02
© Mike Schwartz

Kids Science Labs 02

Woodhouse Tinucci Architects

ARCHITECTS
Woodhouse Tinucci Architects

PROJECT ARCHITECT
Andy Tinucci

PROJECT TEAM
David Woodhouse, Ed Blumer, Nathan Bowman, Shaun Danielson, Brian Foote

PHOTOGRAPHS
Mike Schwartz

AREA
7900 ft²

YEAR
2013

LOCATION
Chicago, United States

CATEGORY
Learning, Educational Architecture, Adaptive Reuse

Kids Science Labs is a hands-on science learning center for kids aged 2-12 based on the premise that kids are curious.The company's founders don't focus on a chemical reaction or mathematical equation, they encourage exploration to bring science alive.

Kids Science Labs 02
© Mike Schwartz
Kids Science Labs 02
© Mike Schwartz

They wanted their 7,900sf Learning & Discovery Lab (in a loft building in Chicago's South Loop) to be a place where;Kids could wonder HOW their world works and ask WHY---and we wanted to make architecture a protagonist in that experience.

Beyond the see-through welcome desk, are two kinds of space for :(1) Independent discovery and exploration---a meandering, interlocking puzzle of blackboard question wall (how does TV work?), corrugated orange container (what's in there?), tall windows (what's out there?) and for

Kids Science Labs 02
© Mike Schwartz
Kids Science Labs 02
© Mike Schwartz

(2) Interactive learning based on (often boisterously messy) experience, not explanation---wood-clad laboratory pavilions with writable walls, cork floors, suspended felt acoustical baffles, and wide-opening glazed garage doors.

Around the corner, the elongated, wood-lined, Accelerator Space is where kids can really let go, experimenting with with homemade catapults and Coke and Mentos rockets.

Kids Science Labs 02
© Mike Schwartz
Kids Science Labs 02
© Mike Schwartz

Materials are tough, durable and natural: maple veneer plywood, common brick, concrete, glass, cork, painted corrugated metal, blackboard, & cardboard mailing tubes.


Kids Science Labs 02
© Mike Schwartz
Kids Science Labs 02
© Mike Schwartz
Kids Science Labs 02
© Mike Schwartz


Kids Science Labs 02
Floor Plan