Design Lab

How can space support the different ways in which kids learn?

Kids learn in very different ways. From tinkering and testing; to creating and performing; to working collaboratively or by themselves, the future of science education is moving beyond the classroom and into scientific principles grounded in familiar and relevant concepts.

Together with the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI), we created a multi-faceted laboratory where learners of all ages, backgrounds and skillsets get hands-on with science principles and walk away more knowledgeable, confident and curious.

Occupying approximately 10,000 sq ft of NYSCI’s main pavilion, Design Lab has five activity areas that host a diverse array of STEM and project-based learning activities. We crafted each area—Sandbox, Backstage, Studio, Treehouse, and Maker Space—as an alternative universe for kids to explore and experience.

Exposing structure, materials and hardware and assembly systems, we use design to celebrate the act of making and illustrate the STEM principles driving Design Lab's activities.

Each year, Design Lab attracts thousands of visitors, trains teachers from schools across the city and leads STEM-based classes for students of all ages. Since the project launched in 2014, it has become an international touchstone for nontraditional learning and maker spaces.

Client

NYSCI

Location

Corona, NY

Scope

10,000 sq ft

Completion

2014

Photography

John Muggenborg, SITU