LONDON CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
London, Ontario, CA
The London Children’s Museum in London, Ontario was established in 1975 as Canada’s first children’s museum. After serving the London community for more than 40 years in its current location, the Children’s Museum will soon relocate to a new home on the city’s east side expected to open in 2023. SKOLNICK teamed with Toronto-based Reich + Petch Design International to collaborate on the design of exhibit experiences for the new space, part of a former Kellogg’s cereal factory. The London Children’s Museum will join several other tenants in this large entertainment complex that will put the museum at the heart of London’s arts, cultural and educational communities.
Services
In collaboration with Reich+Petch International
Interpretive Master Planning
Exhibition Design
Size
17,100 sf (exhibits); 40,785 sf (overall facility)
INFORMAL LEARNING & EXPLORATION
Exhibits and hands-on experiences will give families the opportunity to explore history and heritage, investigate the complexities of science, and celebrate the beauty in art and culture. A 2,000 sf “Wonderlab” will also complement the exhibits with a changing variety of makerspace activities and programming.
SEVEN NEW EXHIBIT AREAS
Exhibits include “Branching Out”, where visitors are welcomed to a forested space evoking London’s natural environment; “Community Roots”, a city-themed area with various role-play environments; “FarmWorks”, an agriculture exhibit with a 2-story interactive factory; “Unearthed”, which explores paleontology, geology, and caves; “Above & Beyond”, a space-themed area that explores the outer reaches of the solar system; and “STREAM”, which provides multiple interactive waterplay opportunities on a 75 foot-long stream table .
RELATED PROJECTS
CHILDREN’S GALLERY AT THE ROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM
MIAMI CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
MUZEIKO