After completing a master plan for the Science Museum of Virginia, we continued our efforts, designing the first phase of improvements. The master plan, when implemented, will increase the amount of exhibit and program space, improve wayfinding, update systems, add visitor amenities, and improve earned revenue while preserving the historic integrity of the building. Recognizing that a significant portion of the museum’s revenue is derived from rental income, the museum’s first priority was a new special event center. The event pavilion is designed to operate independently from the museum and provides over 25,000 square feet of exhibition and/or event space. The pavilion’s swooping roof and its large expanses of transparency, provide a contemporary iconic image, purposefully contrasting with the museum’s 1919 neoclassical façade. Once a train station, the 210,000-square-foot facility became the museum’s permanent home in 1976, saving the building from demolition. Pfeiffer completed Design Development for the Science Museum of Virginia in 2014 after a study of the existing 206,000 sf. Construction on 24,000 gsf of new construction and 10,000 sf of renovations began in 2015 and was completed in 2017.
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