Officials in Pennsylvania are planning a science center that features a nature dome, virtual reality whitewater rafting, and an 100-foot-wide exterior rendering of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. San Francisco’s EHDD is designing the facility.
West Coast readers may be familiar with EHDD through its work on the Exploratorium, a science museum in San Francisco. Its latest project has many similar elements: In addition to its whiz-bang features, the Da Vinci Science Center in Easton, Pennsylvania will have exhibits on plants and animals native to the Lehigh Valley. There will also be a permanent exhibit on da Vinci that explores how the Renaissance polymath’s work influences the mission of the namesake museum.
A 400-seat theater, an observatory on the roof, a weather station, a indoor skydiving simulation, and a zoo component round out the program.
Outside in the garden, The Morning Call reported that visitors will be able to lounge near a 12-foot-tall replica of Leonardo’s Horse, the sculpture da Vinci completed for the Duke of Milan in 1482.
While the project timeline is still being finalized, construction on the $130 million is slated to begin in 2019 or 2020.
