ARIZONA
SCIENCE CENTER
PHOENIX,
ARIZONA
"powerful forms ... concrete is the only material that could create
these shapes and forms"
The Jury
The Arizona Science Center is a 126,900 square
foot five story structure. Completed in April 1997 for a cost of more than $16,000,000,
the facility is both a science museum and educational facility.
The framing system is conventionally reinforced cast-in-place
concrete with beams, columns and two-way slabs. The structure features faceted sloped
concrete walls for the planetarium. The walls are wrapped in a concrete stair that leads
onto a viewing deck where the top of the concrete structure appears to float above a
continuous ribbon view point. Angular and sculptural concrete elements are compositionally
balanced by the curved walls of the Imax theatre.
Reinforced concrete was used because it is the perfect medium to
express the geological forms design. The capability of concrete to be cast into complex
shapes, plus its inherent fire resistance were also prime factors in the decision to use
concrete.
| Owner: |
 |
CITY OF PHOENIX
Phoenix, AZ |
| Architect: |
ANTOINE PREDOCK DESIGN, Architect
CORNOYER HEDRICK INC., Executive Architect
Phoenix, AZ |
| Structural
Engineer: |
PARAGON STRUCTURAL DESIGN, INC.
Phoenix, AZ |
| Contractor: |
SUNDT CORPORATION
Phoenix, AZ |
| Photos: |
Timothy Hursley
The Arkansas Office |
