Birmingham Children's Museum project overview 5/16/11 For more, http://magiccitypost.com/2011/06/26/mcwane-science-center-plans-5-million-birmingham-childrens-museum/

1. BIRMINGHAM
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
PROJECT OVERVIEW

2. CONTENTS
The Need…2
The Plan…3
The Budget…4
The Details…5
The Timeline…11

3. THE NEED
• Research shows that children who are exposed to scientific inquiry skills at an early age
demonstrate higher academic achievement later in life
• Children who participate in high quality early learning opportunities are less likely to
require special education classes; repeat a grade; participate in criminal activity; to
depend on public assistance; and are more likely to enroll in college and be employed as
adults
• Birmingham does not have a dedicated pre-kindergarten learning museum
• Most of Birmingham’s authorized pre-kindergarten programs rarely can afford to send
their students to a place like McWane Science Center or the proposed The Birmingham
Children’s Museum
• McWane Science Center’s past successes with early childhood exhibits have proven
there is a hunger for a set-aside pre-kindergarten learning space

4. THE PLAN
• To build the finest hands-on pre-kindergarten learning environment in the southeast
• To meet the crucial developmental needs of early learners (Pre-K)
• To create a 10,500 square foot, dramatic, open-ended learning environment
• To be a vital resource for parents, grandparents, and teachers, pre-K programs and
caregivers
• To develop engaging educational programs and teacher training workshops
• To enable every pre-kindergarten program, authorized by the Department of Human
Resources, to attend at NO COST, provided that:
• The program is located in the city limits;
• The teachers in the program first attend a training course on how to use the
Birmingham Children’s Museum;
• The teachers agree to take a science kit back to their classrooms in order to
reinforce the lessons learned at the Birmingham Children’s Museum.

5. THE BUDGET
Facility Preparations $2,000,000.00
1. Architecture & Engineering Fees
2. 2nd Floor Demolition and Construction
3. Elevator Addition
4. Furnishings & Fixtures
5. Facility Automation Improvements
6. Upgraded Security System
7. Parking Deck Improvements
8. Gated Entry/Wayfinding
Exhibits $3,000,000.00
1. Stroller Parking/Entry Gate/Icon
2. Physical Play
3. The StageLight & ColorSound Garden
4. Bubble Play
5. Water Play
6. Construction Zone
7. The Ball Zone
8. Main Street Climbing Structure Toddler Zones
9. Messy Art Studio
10. Classroom/Birthday Party Room
11. Resource Center
TOTAL $5,000,000.00

6. FACILITY PREPARATIONS
In order to house the 10,500 sq. ft. Birmingham Children’s Museum and serve the roughly 500,000
annual visitors McWane Science Center anticipates in the wake of the new exhibit’s opening, a number
of major facility renovations must take place. Based on estimates from contractors, these renovations
will total approximately $2 million.
Costs include:
1. Architecture & Engineering Fees: McWane Science Center will work with the KPS Group (a
Birmingham-based company) to design and plan the building renovations. We have already had
extensive preliminary discussions with them about the project.
2. 2nd Floor Demolition and Construction: The eastern half of McWane Science Center’s 2nd floor
will house the Birmingham Children’s Museum. This 10,500 sq. ft. space will need extensive
renovations including demolition of existing structures, installation of new spandrel glass
windows, new flooring, lighting, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and new walls and barriers to
delineate the Birmingham Children’s Museum space. Brasfield & Gorrie (a Birmingham-based
company) has been selected for this project based on their familiarity with the McWane Science
Center’s physical plant and their excellent reputation on such projects. Brasfield & Gorrie has
already provided a number of estimates for the project.
3. Elevator Addition: The increased attendance that will result from the Birmingham Children’s
Museum construction will require a third elevator bay to serve our visitors. Brasfield & Gorrie
has priced out an estimate for this addition and will build and install a new elevator shaftwall
and new car.
4. Furnishings & Fixtures: As with any large construction project, there will be substantial
furnishings and fixtures that need to be purchased. These items include owner furnishing for Art
Studio, Parenting Resource Center, seating for visitors and the office.
5. Facility Automation Improvements: Our current building automation system which operates on
Windows 95 is obsolete and needs to be upgraded in order to effectively operate, monitor and
respond to the physical plant needs for HVAC control, lighting, and hot water system for the
increased attendance. This upgrade also includes features that will control utilities more
efficiently for this growing demand while providing facility staff a cost effective and timely
means for making adjustments and reducing utility costs.
6. Upgraded Security System: McWane Science Center’s existing security cameras and monitoring
stations are out-of-date and in need of expansion. With the increased visitation from the
Birmingham Children’s Museum and the increase in very young children at the museum, an up-
to-date security system MUST be installed.
7. Parking Deck Improvements: New lighting and signage is necessary in the Parking Deck in order
to best serve our large number of visitors. In addition, a new parking entry/exit system must be
purchased to replace the existing system that is no longer supported.
8. Gated Entry/Wayfinding: A gated-entry turnstile system for the Birmingham Children’s Museum
will allow staff to effectively monitor and control visitor access. Additional improvements at
other exhibit hall entrances will also greatly enhance security. Our overall wayfinding system will
be entirely revamped in order to minimize lost children and increase visitor flow efficiency.

7. MUSEUM EXHIBITS
McWane Science Center expects the Birmingham Children’s Museum to be the finest early educational
experience in the region. In order to achieve this goal, McWane plans on building and installing a wide
variety of first-class exhibits to serve our Pre-K visitors and their families. McWane’s talented Exhibits
and Education teams are working together to develop the exhibitry and have visited and contacted
many other children’s museums throughout the country to determine which experiences will best serve
our patrons. Because much of the exhibitry can be designed and built in-house by the McWane team,
we anticipate that our total costs (including labor) will fall below the industry standard of $300/square
foot. For the 10,500 sq. ft. exhibit, we anticipate the exhibit costs to total approximately $3 million.
The Birmingham Children’s Museum exhibits will include:
1. Stroller Parking/Entry Gate/Icon: Visitors will enter the Birmingham Children’s Museum
through a dramatic, vibrant entry gate that “feels” like you’re walking into an entirely separate
building. Once inside, ample stroller parking will abound, allowing caregivers to securely park
their belongings and explore the interior space unencumbered. A giant, fun “icon” will serve as a
wayfinding structure and will point out the various areas of the Birmingham Children’s Museum
while also serving as an obvious meeting point for groups and families.
2. Physical Play: A large section of the Birmingham Children’s Museum will be devoted to exhibits
encouraging physical play, active learning, and collaboration. Our youngest visitors are just
learning how to engage with the physical world and this area will encourage them to run, jump,
climb, and work together to conquer physical challenges.
3. The Stage: A section of the Birmingham Children’s Museum will be dedicated to “dramatic play”
where our visitors can stage productions involving singing, acting, dancing, or even a puppet
show! The Stage will also be used for adult-led activities like book readings, singalongs, and
storytelling.
4. Light & Color: Exhibits in this section will focus on light, shadow and color. A variety of highly
open-ended exhibits will explore these concepts in a visually dazzling way.
5. Sound Garden: Opposite the Light & Color area will be the Sound Garden with a focus on
exhibits that explore melody, noise, pitch, timbre, and musical instruments. It will be a fun,
noisy, and highly collaborative area.
6. Bubble Play: All children love bubbles and a Bubble Play area is a must for any children’s
museum. Our Bubble Play area will contain a variety of bubble-focused exhibits including a “Step
Inside a Bubble” exhibit and a number of free-play tables where visitors can make their own
bubbles.
7. Water Play: Few exhibits excite young children more than water-play exhibits. Our Water Play
area will have a host of interactive experiences that will allow visitors to manipulate streams,
pools, and vortexes of water.

8. 8. Construction Zone: Lots of blocks, an unfinished “house” to build and decorate, and kid-sized
construction equipment will define the Construction Zone. This area will allow children to
explore the built world with a huge variety of manipulatives and varied terrain.
9. The Ball Zone: A true “icon” exhibit, the ballroom will consist of a giant, kid-powered ball
machine with a myriad of tubes, wheels, pulleys, and spirals. The ball machine will focus on
motion, movement, and cause and effect and will be a huge draw for visitors.
10. Main Street: Role playing is the focus on Main Street where visitors will work in and visit a
number of scaled-down shops. A diner, garage, pet vet, and other businesses will all set out
their shingles on Main Street so that children can let their imaginations run wild.
11. Climbing Structure: A large, exciting, but highly safe and secure climbing structure will be part of
the landscape at the Birmingham Children’s Museum. Visitors will be able to challenge
themselves by climbing through the nets and platforms to see how high they can go in this
visually open, intricate structure.
12. Toddler Zones: Throughout the Birmingham Children’s Museum will be a number of small “Tot
Spots” for our earliest learners. These safe, soft, secure areas will be filled with various textures,
colors, and manipulatives for those visitors just learning to interact with the world.
13. Messy Art Studio: An art studio where anything goes, the Messy Art Studio will encourage kids
to fingerpaint, mix liquids, draw on the walls, and do all of the fun stuff they can’t do at home.
The area will be program-driven and will be run by our experienced Education staff. New
experiences and activities will occur every day in the Messy Art Studio.
14. Classroom/Birthday Party Room: The Birmingham Children’s Museum will include a large space
for early educational programs and for birthday parties for our young visitors. These secure,
well-lit, brightly-colored spaces will house fun and exciting educational programs led by our
Education staff as well as raucous, but well-organized birthday parties and events for children.
15. Resource Center: We believe caregivers as well as children should learn something at the
Birmingham Children’s Museum so we are constructing a Resource Center stocked with plenty
of material about interacting with children and engaging in play with them. The Resource Center
will also have a small kitchen and tables to provide snacks or have a calm, quiet moment, as well
as a private nursing station for infants and mothers.

9. INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES
The installation of the Birmingham Children’s Museum will require a number of facility upgrades to best
serve our young visitors. These facility upgrades will be added by trusted vendors in conjunction with
our highly talented Operations staff. We anticipate total costs of these upgrades to total $750K based on
estimates from vendors. These security features will include:
1. Upgraded Security System: McWane Science Center’s existing security cameras and monitoring
stations are out-of-date and in need of expansion. With the increased visitation from the
Birmingham Children’s Museum and the increase in very young children at the museum, an up-
to-date security system MUST be installed.
2. Parking Deck Improvements: New lighting and signage is necessary in the Parking Deck in order
to best serve our large number of visitors. In addition, a new parking entry/exit system must be
purchased to replace the existing system that is no longer supported.
3. Gated Entry/Wayfinding: A gated-entry turnstile system for the Birmingham Children’s Museum
will allow staff to effectively monitor and control visitor access. Additional improvements at
other exhibit hall entrances will also greatly enhance security. Our overall wayfinding system will
be entirely revamped in order to minimize lost children and increase visitor flow efficiency.