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Designing Spaues for Kids
Children's museums are all about learning by doing, and
this philosophy translates to their design
Mmy of u =ii ,h, m==• of o"' you,h a,
dus ty Victorian establi hme.nts filled with cases,
endless text and, if we were lucky, a ingle button that
when pr ed sometimes activated a model of a steam
engine or other fascinating feat of engineering.
Today, F.unili visir museum expecting a raccile,
multisen ory experience. uccessful mu eums are
now as much abour doing and learning through
experi nee, as they are abour showing and seeing.
Children's museums Concurrencly, other spatial environment ee chang
are a relatively happening too. Perhaps talcing a lead from mu eum ,
parks and other civic paces are encouraging more
recent phenomenon
interaction and experience.
and have always Ir' nor all abour couching. An art museum can't lee
been about learning you feel the brush tro� on its van ogh, but it
mighr lee you focus in on it, teach you how to look in
through play. And,
new ways, then lead you to a studio where you
for those of you experiment with real paint and real bru h crokes. A
who can't recall, cience museum introduces you co robotics by leering
you "play" with its souped-up Lego exhibit. Even the
that involves a lot of
local historical ociety transforms inco Main treec co
exploring, touching, ho c an old-fashioned 4 th of July parade.
running, smelling, owhere has the envelope been pushed more than
with children' museum . lncerestingly, unlike long
jumping, tasting,
escabli hed s ience museum or arc galleries, the
listening and children' museum has never had co reinvent itself.
making noise. With a couple notable exceptions, children' muse­
um are a relatively re enr phenomenon and have
always been about learning through play. And, for
tho e of you who can't recall, that involves a lot of
exploring, couching, running, meUing, jumping,
tasting, listening and making noi e.
BY PETER EXLEY, A/A, AND SHARON EXLEY
Museums as Communities
Many children's museums begin as grassroots
organization in mall communities or neighbor­
hoods. Often, it's a few motivated parents or teachers
who provide the impetus. The ense of communi ty
ubiquitous co any children's museum makes relation-
hip between park districts (or other public agen­
cies) and these institutions murually beneficial. T he
range of collaboration varies: the DuPage Children's
Mu eum has leased space from the Wheaton Park
District for several years, while the Arizona Museum
For Youth in Tempe, Ariz., is actually a department
of its city ' government.
Comm n co alJ of th e unique relationship i the
dedication co a mission of serving communities and
F.unilies. hiJdren's museum are very tangible
beacons: not only are they cultural assets, but a
ource of communi ty pride, caraly cs for couri m, as
well as diver e places of inspiration for children and
their care-givers.
Creating a Museum
Requires Partners
Of course, museums don't happen overnight. A
grassroots committee is well-advi ed co eek collabo­
ration with key individual and organization in
developing its mi ion, its programs and its ultimate
home.
Developing key crategies and leadership in the
fields of fund-raising, ar hiceccure . ..nd design (of
both building, or adaptive reuse as1d exhibits)
alongside programming are all essential first cep in
January/February 19991 .J9
SPECIAL FOCUS
Pltolo: Bourbonna is'
Explorotion Slotionboloncesa
facilityForchildrenlo ploy and
learnwiththe naturolseltingal
PerryFarm. Phoiograpi, by
Doug~ Pholograp/,y.
40 Illino i s Parks
creating a museum. In our experience, we tr the
value of a collaborative effort in planning and
developing a museum and its exhibits. The perspec-
tives and i ues involved in design, education, and
project management are in eparable. All need
experienced and dedicated advocates.
A DesignPhilosophy
' Educative design" is a philo ophy that we have
created from our unique per pective as both educator
and d igner of environments for children. Ir's a
good expr ion of the importance of design that
educates, and design that is educated. Thi provides
direction, criteria and approaches co design and
recognizes the following:
• pragmatic and developmental needs of all u ers are
a foundation of good design;
• a desire co inspire through environment and
experience; and
• designers, educator and clients have common
pragmatic, developmental and in pirational values
and need that form the basis of a good program.
The three examples that follow have educative
d ign as their core philosophy.
Bourbonnais'.Exploration tation -
The EducativeDesignProcess
In 1994, the xploration ration, a children's
museum and facility of the Bourbonnais Township
Park i crier, felt ready co expand from a mall rented
and Recrealion
facility. They approached our firm , Peter J. Exley
Archirecr, as specialists in educative design. A local
architect was included co interact with our specialized
firm. The interaction afforded a relatively small
community the opportunity co work with a d ign
ream with expertise in cutting-edge museum design.
From the outset, dialog with the local community
was integral co the project. Key pr entacions and
meetings amassed information, opinions and reactions
that were then interpreted using the educative design
process. All uch projects benefit from the contribu-
tion of the following group and individuals:
• community and local interest group ;
• focus group (residents, families, reacher , local
business, ere.);
• museum board of director (if applicable); and
• local media.
Initial focus group helped articulate "wish lisrs" of
children, care-givers and others alike, as well as
introducing everyone to the process of design and
architecture. Th e exchanges were very much a two-
way erect of learning for both architect and the
community.
There were many public presentation as the design
progr ed, and local media ran articles, publishing
drawings as they became available. Maintaining
public owner hip of a museum as it evolves i crucial
in gauging reaction. Igniting action by investing
individuals and busin in their new museum is
integral co the process of educative design.
Another major challenge po ed by the Exploration
ration was its sire on the Perry Farm property. The
location was pri tine on acres of park reserve alongside
the Kankakee River. The placement of a building
en itive to the site, but also reflecting the building's
function was an interesting challenge. Ulrimarely the
museum became a series of building that looked as
though they belonged on a farm.
iving children a sense of owner hip and ecurity
in their mu cum grew from the educative design
philo ophy. The museum is clearly intended for
children with features such as an ''A thru Z Garden"
raking advantage of the building's orientation co
outdoor play paces. Varying scales of interior space,
whimsical shaped window (great opportunities co
view the world from in ide and our, from different
vantages), and some unusual materials and colors
reinforce and emphasize the function of the structure
coo.
escled in the preserved landscape, many vi icors
wonder whether the building is a renovation of

extsang structures. o aees were felled, and the
building was designed to it within the existing shade
of everal mature oaks. o, d igning the building to
be attractive architecture i in many r peers
sub ervient co recognizing its potential as a place for
play, learning, touri m, public assembly, and fun.
The key to the Exploration cation's uccess has its
roots in the architect, community and client corning
co know each ocher, spending time and working
together. Maintaining chi relationship beyond the
opening of the museum i important too. Even
though the Exploration cation i now open, it's
important to review how the building functions and
to integrate change within the design.
"KidsOn The Fly" - A Lessonin the
Museum as Public Entity
There are many pragmatic i ues inherent co the
building process chat are ometimes magnified when
a community decides co build a museum. Th e are
increased when chat museum is geared to children
and further compounded when that facility becomes
part of a public domain.
Invariably, afety is always crucial in design of
environments. Above all else, it is the one thing chat
everyone is ultra-sen itive to in the design of projects
for children. Beyond the use of material and
detailing (e.g., full zones and corners), the paradox
of mean of egress and single supervised points of
enay and exit challenge every design and require
careful investigation , con ulcation with peciali t
agencies, and thorough implementation.
Kids n The Fly i a satellite facility under the
joint banner of the Chicago Children's Museum and
the City of hicago Department of Aviation in
O'Hare International Airport. le is really like an
indoor park, aturared with activities for families.
Boch these in tirutions, already acutely en itive and
attentive co all aspecrs of safety and welfure, ap-
proached the design and development of chi project
with extraordinary care.
Kids On The Fly paid exaem attention to i ues
of accessibility, working throughout with the Mayor's
Office For People With Di abilities. A primary goal
in chi project was enabling every child, care-giver or
visitor exemplary access to chi experience. To chat
end, audible and tactile interpretation of the project
is available, and the best way co access the exhibit's
centerpiece cargo plane is via a ramp lined with
interactive cargo and fabulous vie.v of ' Hare's
runways. It' a magnificent proactive olution.
There' a wonderful balance of the pragmatics,
developmental and in pirational chat are the
foundation of "educative d ign in action" at Kids
n The Fly. In the design proc , chi also extends
to apportionment of realistic schedules and budgets.
DESIGNING SPACES FOR KIDS
Recognizing too, the ensicive i ues of any theFlyis o sotellile
l'/,o,o ; l(',dsOn
lodlityof theChicagoChildren's
organization' ability to rai e funds, their reliance
Museum located inside Chicago's
upon pro-bono contributions (very few children's O'Hare ln1emoriono/Airport.
museum projects exi t without significant in-kind Pl>oiogroph by Doug.snc,-.
contribution ), and a myriad of ocher criteria are Pl,o,ogrophy.
uniqu e to every such project and location.
Frequently, pragmatic issues uch as ch e may
eem to over hadow issues of development or
educational mi ion, or even in pirational aspira-
tion of design. We have found chat thoughtful and
completely uccessful pragmatic resolution invari-
ably lead co wonderfully challenging and inspiring
environments and museums. Often we have
ob erved chat overly focusing on in piracional
criteria can lead to rather awkward ill-functioning
condition without much needed inherent flexibility.
OgdenPark - ParksDesignedfor
Children and Interaction
Many museum are successful places for learning,
of play, entertainment, and even retail experience.
o perhap it i n't urpri ing chat ocher typ of
institutions look toward the successes of museums
in their interaction with children and care-giver .
Recently, our team collaborated with Wolff
lements Land cape Architects and the hicago
Park Di trier on the creation of a prototype neigh-
borhood park at 63 rdand Racine aeecs in hicago.
A mall conventional playground and large play-
lot within gden Park has given way to a ecure,
contained landscaped environment complete with
interactive water fearur , flexible in pirational areas
geared co art-making, torytelling, family outings (or
whatever use creative camp leader , teachers or care-
Jon u or y /Feb r u or y 1999 I 41
SPECIAL FOCUS

givers can assign), a carrousel, a perfor­

mance area, locs of plac ro sir, as well as a
huge array of the latest play equipment.
1n part, a project like rhi owes much ro
the ground-breaking explorations of
children's museums. The creation of a
beautiful park results from the creation of a
nurturing haven providing experience and
interaction for individuals, families and
organizations in che communi ry and
neighborhood of the ci ry around it. The
experience and interaction is in pired by ------1
the collaboration of voices in char commu­
nity, the designer , and a committed park
disuicr.

Lessons Learned
Slorylolllling quih at
The recognition of the importance and Opde,, Parle,
power of play in the development of Chicago Parle District.
children, the importance of adult interac­
tion in char development and the commit­
ment of public and private, for-profit and
charitable organizations are criteria crucial
to the creation of meaningful plac and
paces for children, their families and chools.
Many rimes, we have found, the children's museum
exemplifies excellent chemi cry in that regard. And
there are many lessons in the process of educative
design that can be applied successfully to enhance our
approach to the design challeng in the parks and
buildings of our communities. A project uch as
Ogden Park illuscraces a new generation of experimen­
tal environment. The realiry char, in a conventional
ense, chi i a park i a poignant ob ervation i11usuar­ Two philosophies of conces ion sales.
ing the potential of all public paces and the opportu-
nities inherent to educative design.
Buy cheap, Sell cheap,
Realizing the potential of projects that thrive on
Have your customer feel cheated.
public inreraccion (including museum and parks), as
places rhac are about doing and experiencing, i an
or
irresistible challenge. The po ibilities char exi r
through the use of educative design are a wonderful
directive for elevating the qualiti of our builr
environments with new experiences. a Buy Quality Sausage

Charge what you have to, sell more, have happy camper

Only the fine t bot dogs, polish sausage, bratwur t,

PfTER EXLEY, A/A
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Chicago. IH, 606101302. 312335 1317

SHARON EXLEY
peoaf,res ,n "educo1,ve �- and IS a p,,nc,pof ol the /11m Real Sausage Company, Chicago, IL 60608
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