Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota

Mankato, MN | Government + Cultural

Overview

After 10 years of planning and design collaboration with ISG support, the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota (CMSM) opened its doors with authentic exhibits designed and constructed by local artists and industry experts.


Opportunity

The CMSM needed a local partner to strategically design a learning space that incorporates large exhibits and local materials, meets ambitious sustainability goals, and engages the community.

Solution

ISG designers integrated CMSM's exhibits to maximize the large, open floor plan of this former city transit garage facility. Transforming the industrial space into a bright and lively learning environment required maximizing natural light by uncovering original windows, and strategic placement of new windows, colors and materials. This allowed the facility to maintain an industrial feel with concrete floors and metal structures while also delivering a fun and inviting atmosphere.

ISG designers collaborated with exhibit planners to effectively phase construction to accommodate the heavy loads and exceptional size and weight of materials. Local industry exhibits include a quarry complete with giant slabs of limestone to create an arched entryway and walls so heavy they were installed before the museum flooring could be poured. The multistory Tree of Forts exhibit was placed through a hole cut in the roof and now extends beyond the roof line with lookouts to the surrounding neighborhood. Wood from different tree species make up each step leading to the top and include the name and the outline of each tree’s leaf shape. These large exhibits required extensive phasing and coordination for installation during construction. A second story mezzanine for the Cecil H. Jones Imagineering Loft overlooks the exhibit spaces. While the facility was designed around two very large permanent exhibits, the remaining space is open with the flexibility to accommodate traveling or new exhibits.

LEED certification for this adaptive reuse building was achieved through the use of concrete flooring, energy-efficient features (HVAC systems, LED lighting, and occupancy sensors), and fulfilling safe indoor air quality (IAQ) standards with limited use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in paints and adhesives. Carpool and fuel-efficient vehicle parking provided additional credits in meeting sustainability goals.


Business Unit News

Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota Earns LEED Silver Certification

August 29, 2017 – The U.S. Green Building Council recently welcomed the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota to its prestigious list of Silver LEED Certified facilities nation-wide. The LEED program, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, recognizes building design projects that demonstrate exceptional material, performance, energy and power, and water efficiency.
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ISG Earns Back-to-Back Zweig Group Tri-Fecta Awards

June 19, 2018 – For the seventh year in a row, ISG landed on the Zweig Group Top 100 Hot Firm list, this year coming in at #14. 2018 also marks ISG’s back-to-back Tri-Fecta Award recognition, with the firm, again, taking home accolades in multiple Marketing Excellence categories and earning a top spot on the coveted Best Places to Work For list. The Zweig Group polls firms ranging from 14 employees to 15,000+ in states across the U.S., comparing each organization’s dollar and percentage revenue growth rate over a three-year period, workplace culture, and marketing strategies within each category submitted.
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