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The Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Wiess Energy Hall recently underwent a renovation that more than tripled the space from 8,500 square feet to 30,000 square feet. The new gallery, dubbed Wiess Energy Hall 3.0, features exciting, interactive exhibits on the science and technology of energy.
Conceived and created by Paul Bernhard Exhibit Design & Consulting, the space includes two motion-platform theater experiences, a working replica of an automated offshore drilling rig, a full-sized flying car of the future, and a 2,500-square-foot, 1/150th scale model city that comes alive via animated projection mapping delivered by 32 laser projectors.
To create the “Future Energy” auto display that includes the car of the future, Paul Bernhard Exhibit approached custom architectural fabricator Eventscape Inc. to engineer, fabricate and install a frame and textile ribbon structure that supports the car and numerous interactive kiosks.
The curved aluminum frame was engineered to fit precisely around digital media tables that offer interactive education. It measures more than 15 feet high by 26 feet wide by 56 feet long and is completely self-supporting. The design required Eventscape to engineer two metal jigs—one for Paul Bernhard Exhibit and one for Eventscape’s shop to coordinate the complex connection angle where the frame met the ramp that supported the futuristic car.
The surface of the structure is a dark gray textile that stretches around its curved edges, enabling the projection of changing colors and video. For more information, visit www.eventscape.com.