Kansas City Children’s Museum Gets New Location and New Look
The Wonderscope Children’s Museum received a 2021 Capstone Award for Community Impact from the Kansas City Business Journal. Kaw Valley Engineering provided surveying, geotechnical engineering and civil design services for this interactive museum, completed in fall 2020.
The museum moved from Shawnee to the new Wonderscope building, located in the Red Bridge Shopping Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Kaw Valley Engineering began planning and design work on the site in 2018, and construction finished in 2020.
Below is a longer list of services we provided:
- Surveyors completed a topographic survey of the site.
- Geotechnical engineers completed field exploration and laboratory testing of the soil, rock and groundwater conditions at the site. They provided an analysis report of the material conditions and provided recommendations for construction.
- Civil engineers provided a development plan, civil and landscape plans, and construction administration.
Haizlip Studio, a Memphis architecture firm specializing in children’s museums, and Kansas City-based BNB Design contracted Kaw Valley Engineering for this project. Since the museum encourages education and fun for children, it was important to incorporate that into the design, architecture and civil engineering of the building as well.
Engineers overcame the challenges of incorporating Wonderscope into the existing Red Bridge Shopping Center and designing civil improvements around an outdoor play area for children.
This was a unique project, and we are excited that the Wonderscope Children’s Museum, designed for the enjoyment of children, will act as a place to learn and play.