Picture César Pelli's nine-story design rising over the Connecticut River, opened to the public in June 2009. From here you can imagine the scale: 154,000 square feet under this roof, including 40,000 square feet devoted to hands-on, interactive exhibits — videos, audios, visuals, tactile components, programs and live demonstrations. Planning for this project began in 2001, and its mission is plain: to promote the study of science by the state's youth and to encourage urban revitalization in Hartford.
The state of Connecticut provided more than $100 million toward the $165 million museum; businesses, foundations and individuals provided the balance. This building also stakes a claim on sustainability: the first science center to generate most of its needed power from an on-site fuel cell, a 200-kilowatt system built by UTC Power, a United Technologies Corp business based in South Windsor. That step marked progress toward a Gold Level LEED Certified green building.
Notice that fuel cell quietly powering these walls, a quiet engine behind 40,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits facing the river.