Design Lab is a series of five activity areas recently opened to the public at the New York Hall of Science. Each of these five spaces: Sandbox, Backstage, Studio, Treehouse and Maker Space are distinct in scale and character and are designed to host a diverse array of STEM and project-based learning activities. Conceived of as sites to foster and promote problem ideation, tinkering, testing, displaying results, as well as housing necessary tools and materials for supporting its ever present staff of explainers - the architecture of Design Lab is intended to be integral to the types of critical discovery and making that is so central to NYSCI’s mission.
Occupying approximately 10,000 square feet of NYSCI's historic Lower Central Pavilion, the design itself celebrates the act of making through the display of exposed materials, structural and electrical components, hardware and overall, larger assembly systems - purposely made visible to visitors and evoking same basic sensibilities as those at the core of Design Lab‘s activities.
A new typology of learning and working spaces, Design Lab spaces are intended to be flexible to support the myriad activities it will host today and in the future.