News

08.14.2007

Excitement Rises at New
Connecticut Science Center

Signature “Magic Carpet” Roof, Ice Cream Sundaes Topped Off

HARTFORD, CT  (August 14, 2007) – The new Connecticut Science Center today reached another important milestone as construction crews hoisted the final steel beams to the building’s signature Magic Carpet roof.  Governor M. Jodi Rell and Science Center architect Cesar Pelli joined other supporters of the Connecticut Science Center for the ceremonial topping off.

“With its dramatic steel structure now in place, the Connecticut Science Center is a major step closer to becoming reality,” said Governor Rell.  “The Science Center represents so many things – impressing young minds in the marvels of science; economic vitality for our community; the hundreds of thousands of residents and tourists who will come to visit; and preparing Connecticut’s workforce to lead in technology, engineering, mathematics, and other applied sciences.  This is truly a remarkable moment.”

 “The building’s design will be a signal that we have arrived as a destination for education and excitement,” Pelli added. “Much more, the Science Center will be a place of community, exploration and discovery. 

The Center’s “Magic Carpet”, an elegantly curved roof, caps the architectural centerpiece of the building, known as Science Alley.  The roof slopes gracefully from its lowest western point upwards to a height of  183 feet as it reaches towards the Connecticut River, before settling handsomely at its eastern-most point.  The roof will appear suspended above the glass structure below symbolizing the Center’s goals of bringing transparency to science.  An array of steel “vertebrae” carries the spine of the roof, which will be dramatically lighted from below to increase its visual effect at night.

“Now that the 2,500 ton steel skeleton is complete, the real character of the building can be seen,” added Theodore S. Sergi, Science Center President & CEO.    The next step in the construction process will be to install the building’s shell, which is comprised of roughly 50% glass and 50% metal panels. 

The topping off ceremony is a chance for those who are constructing the Science Center to celebrate the completion of the demanding steel work.  In keeping with tradition, an evergreen tree and flag were secured to the ceremonial steel plate and raised to the highest point of the project.   The tree symbolizes that construction has reached the sky without loss of life or serious injury and good fortune for the future inhabitants of the building.
To get a bird’s eye view of construction and track the progress of the building, real time images captured by two live webcams can be seen on the Center’s website, click here.

About the Connecticut Science Center
The Connecticut Science Center, now under construction in downtown Hartford, will spark creative imagination and an appreciation for science by immersing visitors in fun and educational hands-on, interactive experiences.  Visitors will experience 200 exhibits in 10 galleries and a range of topics, including space and earth sciences, physical sciences, biology, the Connecticut watershed, Connecticut inventors and innovations, a children’s gallery, and much more.  Other visitor amenities include four educational labs, a 200-seat 3D digital cinema, function room, gift store and café, and ongoing events and lectures for all ages.
The Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing science education throughout the state of Connecticut, providing learning opportunities for students and adults of all ages, and engaging the community in scientific exploration.

Steel workers lower the last steel plate of the Connecticut Science Center, which will complete the signature structure of the building, the Magic Carpet roof.  
Click to see larger photo.