Louisiana Children's Museum

Project Description

Since 1986, the Louisiana Children’s Museum has been engaging children, families, caregivers, and school groups in memorable, interactive experiences designed to make learning fun. When the museum planned to expand and relocate from the Warehouse District of New Orleans to the expansive City Park, they reimagined the center as a dynamic learning resource with both indoor and outdoor experiences that inspire children to play, learn and connect to nature. The Museum’s new, family-friendly, highly accessible location also supports its mission to engage children’s potential—and make it a visible priority for the community.

In addition to new indoor exhibit galleries, a literacy center, a parent/teacher resource center, and other indoor features, the new museum celebrates and fosters interaction with the outdoor environment. The museum’s 56,000 sq. ft. LEED-certified building is carefully sited to protect groves of live oaks. Decks and bridges guide visitors through sensory gardens and a restored wetland area. An outdoor classroom floats atop the edge of a lagoon.

As part of a team led by Mithun, Biohabitats assessed the ecological conditions of the site and lagoon and prepared schematic designs and design development documents for several ecological and regenerative elements. These included a living shoreline at the lagoon’s edge, stormwater green infrastructure, native landscapes, and a restored, interpretive wetland.