Roto, a leading planning & design-build firm, is celebrating the completion of the new location for the Da Vinci Science Center at PPL Pavilion in Pennsylvania, US. It opens to the public tomorrow, 22 May.
The attraction has taken three years to design and two years to build, and features over 50 new innovative experiences. It offers four galleries including a 1,500-square-foot immersive live otter habitat, and has three times as much exhibition space as the Center’s previous location on the Cedar Crest College campus.
Lin Erickson, Da Vinci CEO, says: “Like our previous location, this new museum will meld science, art, and math to unleash limitless curiosity, creativity, and discovery. These galleries are filled with cutting-edge technology and immersive experiences that you won’t find anywhere else. There really is something for everyone – for kids and caregivers alike.”
Rooted in the local community
Roto worked with the Da Vinci Science Center’s team to design all four galleries for the new location: Curiosity Hall, Science in the Making, Lehigh Valley Watershed, and Lehigh Valley Health Network My Body.
The design process began in 2021 and aimed to provide engaging experiences for multigenerational guests and to showcase local innovation. The exhibition space extends over two floors and 21,000 square feet, with dozens of interactive exhibits, and opportunities for hands-on learning and exploration.
Exhibits include:
- Pocono Ravine Otter Exhibit. Four North American River Otters live in this two-storey immersive exhibit. Visitors can interact with these endearing animals from the Lehigh River Valley against a backdrop of natural light, an active waterfall, interconnected pools and streams, and other environmental features. This gallery showcases the interconnectedness of the local watershed and its benefits to the community.
- Immersive Body Climber. The Immersive Body Climber is nearly 37 feet tall and has three levels. Visitors can learn about the human body by moving through an enormous brain and heart, followed by a climbing activity designed to replicate the contours of the intestinal tract.
- T-Rexroth Dinosaur. This giant robotic dinosaur allows visitors to operate hydraulics and actuators while seeing simple mechanisms in action. Rexroth, a local automation solution supplier, collaborated with Roto to create a one-of-a-kind interactive experience that highlights applied physics and technology.
- Public Health Simulator. Visitors to this large-scale installation are greeted by a beautiful array of 1,000 lit figures forming a real-time graphical display that emphasises the consequences of health inequities among a population.
Visitors can use a touchscreen kiosk to learn about public health outcomes and the importance of individual contributions to community health. This exhibit, created in collaboration with Lehigh Valley Health Network, focuses on common health concerns in the community.
The total cost for the development was $75m. Roto’s project cost $14m and took three years to complete from kickoff to installation.
Sean Ramsay, Roto partner, says: “Da Vinci Science Center has shown unique dedication to creating experiences that are relevant to the local community, from featuring local live animal populations and relevant conservation messaging to the deep partnerships it has forged with regional companies and organizations. Da Vinci is providing an unparalleled experience for the Lehigh Valley residents and visitors alike.”
Roto recently announced that it has signed a lease with E.V. Bishoff Company on a 30,000-square-foot site on the Whittier Peninsula. The area will become home to the business’s brand-new public-facing project—a unique “experimental museum.”
