HITCHCOCK CENTER EXHIBITS
the hitchcock center acts as a teaching tool, designed to make people better stewards of their built and natural environments.
The design team worked closely with the educators to develop spaces that supported the Center’s curriculum and pedagogy. Strategies like systems-thinking, sense-of-place, and scales-of-impact were embedded into the site through teaching gardens and play spaces; into the building through systems and user interaction; and into the visitor experience through exhibits and signage that highlight observed and applied principles of nature throughout the building and site.
What is most remarkable about the project is how Hitchcock's curriculum and pedagogy are evolving in the new space. Their curriculum now includes a focus on design and engineering as a tool for social change and environmental advocacy.
The Visitors Center wing is focused on the theme “Nature Teaches Us,” achieved through a combination of direct connects to nature and interpretive exhibits. Upon entry, visitors are invited “…to join us in creating and imagining a world in which children think electricity comes from the sun and composting toilets are normal.” They are also introduced to the Hitchcock Center pedagogy through a series of glyphs that introduce a series of Nature Principles that are further explored through a exhibitions throughout the building and site.
With sweeping views to the Nest Courtyard, visitors can see nature at work first hand through pollinator gardens and the Holyoke Range beyond. Installed throughout the space are live habitats that hold a variety of local species, including a corn snake, a turtle, and freshwater aquarium.
The Classroom wing is focused on “We Learn from Nature,” with exhibits that link building design and engineering technologies with Nature Principles. These reinforce the notion that design and engineering provide an opportunity for people to put environmental advocacy into action.
Large-scale graphics explain how the building acts like nature. Here, the roof shape is compared to a natural watershed, which captures and filters water for drinking.
