California Science Center completes the $450 million Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center
The California Science Center has completed construction of the $450 million Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, a 200,000-sf expansion project.
As the permanent home for space shuttle Endeavour, the Los Angeles museum is the only place where the public can see a complete shuttle system in a vertical display as if ready for launch.
“At the outset of this project we challenged ourselves to achieve something that has never been done before: to design the only place in the world for the public to see a space shuttle in launch position,” Ted Hyman, partner of project architect ZGF Architects, said in a statement.
Engineered by Arup and built by MATT Construction, the new Air and Space Center includes three new multilevel galleries. The Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery, the Korean Air Aviation Gallery, and the Kent Kresa Space Gallery focus on the science and engineering principles behind atmospheric flight and space exploration.
The center features a curvilinear stainless-steel exterior inspired by the fluid geometry of the space shuttle. The 200-foot-tall Shuttle Gallery serves as the building’s distinctive centerpiece.
With construction complete, the installation of the artifacts and exhibits is now underway. This work will take several months before an opening date is announced this summer.
Once open to the public, the museum will showcase 100 aerospace artifacts with 100 new hands-on exhibits for visitors of all ages to engage in active learning through discovery.
“This amazing project significantly expands our ability to accomplish our mission, to stimulate curiosity and inspire science learning in everyone, on a scale and with an impact unlike anything in our history,” Jeffrey Rudolph, California Science Center president and CEO, said in the statement. “It is the culmination of our ambitious three-decade master plan.”
The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center represents the third and final phase of the California Science Center’s three-decade master plan. ZGF has served as the architect for the master plan and its first two phases.
On the building team: California Science Center (owner), ZGF Architects (design architect and architect of record), Arup (MEP and structural engineer), MATT Construction (general contractor).
