PEGGY NOTEBAERT NATURE MUSEUM
Chicago, IL
SKOLNICK worked closely with Chicago Academy of Sciences board and staff in the creation of the new Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, which is dedicated to exploring the roles of nature in the urban environment. Collaborating with the Academy and its architects, SKOLNICK conceived a combination of over 30,000 sf of interrelated indoor and outdoor exhibits for the two-acre site in Chicago’s Lincoln Park.
Services
Interpretive Programming
Project Management
Exhibit Design
Fabrication/
Installation Supervision
Size
30,000 sf
NATURE IN OUR DAILY LIVES
Inside the Museum, innovative walk-through dioramas, a computer-networked interactive environmental crisis center, the iconic Butterfly Haven habitat, and nearly 50 other custom interactive components help visitors recognize how nature influences their daily lives. The “Water Lab” simulates the Chicago Water District channeling and filtering of water and incorporates a large interactive Stream Table. “City Science” welcomes visitors into a two-story house where they can explore the inner workings of the house in the basement and perform kitchen chemistry on the upper floor.
NATURE IN THE CITY
Outside of the Museum, nature trails, signage, and locations for nature programming around North Pond provide interpretation and hands-on science instruction within the park. The landscape design took its cues from the site itself, which possessed many mature trees, attractive vistas, and an exceptional location with proximity to other cultural resources including the lakefront and Lincoln Park Zoo.
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