By Jandlynne King
How can architecture inspire diverse communities to interact with and inspire children to be part of a positive movement in personal development to cultivate a better society?
Architecture represents a society by reflecting its inhabitants’ values, successes, and downfalls over time. From the phenomenal structures to humble residences to functional buildings that make up the fabric of a city, we learn a lot about the people who occupied them long before our time. From the designed environment of the past, combined with modern-day research on psychology and the environment, we can understand the effects of architecture on people in entirely new ways.
Image caption: La Nube Children’s Museum Graphic (Courtesy of La Nube Children’s Museum)
For El Paso, this is especially true when it comes to La Nube, El Paso’s innovative children’s museum, which will be accessible to all, supporting personal development and growth within the community. The building will nurture a sharp-witted future by emphasizing the importance of learning with a fun approach, encouraging children to develop skills to help them become successful adults. El Pasoans have waited patiently for such a development that will be a resource for people of all ages and that will withstand the test of time and grow with future generations.
The common theme during the creation process of the museum is “blue sky thinking,” referring to the absence of limitations or defined borders, bringing unity and infinite connections. Due to this thinking, the structure and exhibitions include bilingual, immersive, and interactive learning for people of various cultures and ages. Whether for a baby in the sensory learning stage or a curious adult, there is something for everyone. The museum will help our community move forward with a more positive approach to community development. It will be a “civic classroom” that works as a learning tool for the unique blend of cultures of El Paso.
Resembling a cloud and named “La Nube,” Spanish for The Cloud, development began by bringing an innovative and fun learning method for all ages and a blend of cultures. An article in STIRworld, an architecture, design and art magazine, describes, “A rippling succession of barrel vaults reaches above a cloud-like crown and is supported by a rectilinear glass base.”
Anyone who passes by the building will be able to see through its transparent exterior. Resurfacing from retirement, Barry Van Deman is the Executive Director. His extensive knowledge about museums lends the El Paso community inspiration for creativity through learning.
The museum’s location is also a critical factor. Not only will it be accessible to 2.7 million people that cross the US-Mexican Border as a daily routine, it is strategically placed downtown. Housed within the Arts District nearby are three breathtaking museums, two historic theaters, Southwest University Ballpark, the El Paso Public Library, upscale restaurants, public art, and many other new renovations and innovations that are bringing downtown El Paso back to life! On the northern edge of the building, you can catch sights of one of two major transcontinental train tracks in the western United States called the Union Pacific Railroad, encouraging El Pasoans and tourists to look to the future, without forgetting the foundation El Paso was built and stood proudly upon on for many years.
La Nube will be of monstrous proportions, composed of 70,000 square feet full of “hands-on exhibitions,” a vertical climber stretching from the center of the 60-foot lobby on the first floor up to the fourth floor, meant to inspire peace and tranquility. Following the motto of the museum, “The blue sky that connects all of us around the world,” the El Paso community has included an “exhibit which interacts with the nearby Museo La Rodadora,” an interactive children’s Museum in Juárez, México, linking learners from the two bordering cities. An outdoor sanctuary will house gardens of local plants, gathering areas, and streetscapes.
Architectural firms Snøhetta, Exigo, and Gyroscope collaborated in the design of La Nube, blending each firm’s strength and vision into a piece of architectural artwork.
The International Architecture Firm Snøhetta won the Designing of the El Paso Children’s Museum competition. Snøhetta is a culturally diverse group of architects that uses the plural in singular working, bringing all their ideas together. The sustainability concept guides their work. The designs keep a healthy earth in mind. Their buildings relate to their surrounding geography, boosting the longevity of the buildings by adaptation to the area’s natural resources. Since we live in the hot Chihuahuan desert, Snøhetta also included features to complement the arid climate, such as shady groves of trees and a cooling mist playground. The El Paso community directly influences the name, architecture, and learning zones. It is invigorating to add this museum as it is the city’s first purpose-built children’s museum.
Gyroscope, an award-winning studio of creative designers, is an architectural company of science that will take care of the museum’s hands-on exhibits. They are a group of designers making science and technology fun, innovative, and hands-on. Gyroscope is creating 40,000 square feet of exhibits, including nine different themed areas, each designed for different age ranges and learning themes. Their services are community-based, and their designs integrate the whole space to create an interactive learning experience.
Image caption: La Nube Children’s Museum Graphic (Courtesy of La Nube Children’s Museum)
Lastly, Exigo, a local architectural group, helps to ensure El Paso’s cultural insight in the design. Exigo is a local team of architects who focus more on the El Paso culture when creating designs. They believe in creating “functional and meaningful museum[s] and cultural buildings.” An example of their work includes the Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC), one of three Signature Projects of the 2012 Quality of Life Bond, co-located at the El Paso Main Library and living up to their motto “architecture inspired by purpose” in the heart of the El Paso Downtown Arts District.
La Nube represents the change in how we learn and work together. It aims to inspire parents and children to learn with creativity and innovation and to invoke curiosity and critical thinking skills to tackle real-world issues shaping our reality today. The community has worked together to unify our borders, erasing differences in nationalities and cultures. The building stands out in our evolving downtown area. La Nube impeccably fuses our natural Chihuahuan desert climate with our beautiful architecture, using our natural attributes as its leading amenities, making it easy to maintain. It certainly is “the shape of imagination.”
