The Powerhouse Science Center has been in development for approximately five years. When opened it will be one of the few new science centers to open in the U.S. in recent years.
As a part of the design team at West Office I assisted in the development of a master plan and several exhibit concepts to support the Science Center’s fundraising and other development efforts.
The image to the left is for a master plan document showing a live animal display are within The Center. The exhibit was modeled and rendered in Cinema 4d. Hand drawn trees were scanned and brought into the model to create an abstract forest that was more inviting than something generated entirely from a CAD program.
A master plan rendering of exhibits about sustainable energy.
Exhibits about energy, electricity and the electrical grid were developed to a concept level for potential funding by PG&E.
A rendering of the exterior of the Powerhouse Science Center. This rendering was produced by the architect; Dreyfuss and Blackford in Sacramento, CA.
A semi-transparent view of the Science Center was used during the master planning phase as a tool to work with the architect (Dreyfus and Blackford) to determine the functional spaces within the building. All modeling was completed in Sketchup to allow for use of the “scenes” tool during meetings.
An early concept for exhibits on the grounds of the Science Center was drawn by hand based on a partial computer model then rendered in Photoshop.
A concept rendering for an iconic exhibit in the Science Center Lobby. When visitors stand at the to pf the stairs they seem to act as conductor, connecting video lighting bolts at the ends of each of their arms.
Client: Powerhouse Science Center
Location: Sacramento, CA
Floor Area: 20,000 sq. ft.
Budget: TBD
Opening: TBD
URL: powerhousesc.org