Irene W. Pennington Planetarium and Space Theater, Baton Rouge

Louisiana's newest space theater, located in Baton Rouge, was cooperatively developed by city, state, museum and private sector contributors to improve science education and further improve the city's premier civic institution.

The 23,000-sq.-ft. structure was designed by STBP Architects of Baton Rouge in association with The Haizlip Firm of Memphis, Tenn., to overcome significant site constraints while still complementing the historic nature of the existing museum. Surpassing expectations, the project added approximately 14,000 sq. ft. of new exhibit space and a new multipurpose planetarium and space theater.

Also, an additional 10,000 sq. ft. of existing sculpture galleries and classroom space was renovated and modernized.

The completed planetarium, which opened in May, includes a sculpture gallery housing a premier collection of Mestovic sculptures; an exhibit gallery containing hands-on educational exhibits that provide personal interaction for children and adults; a planet tower with a circulation stairway that "orbits" suspended scale-sized planets; and a space theater facilitating some of the world's most versatile combinations of education and entertainment technology.

The design also incorporates interactive queuing space and classrooms to support multiple events simultaneously. This optimizes circulation in and through the theater, providing flexibility in theater access and visitor flow. Also, to make the facility visually engaging and pedestrian friendly, STBP created the distinctive glass encased "exclamation point" at the end of the building, which accommodates a stair tower and the scale replicas of the solar system planets.

During the first two months of operation, the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum served more than 47,000 visitors. This increase in patronage represents nearly 70 percent of the annual attendance in two short months. Recently recognized for excellence by local architects, the new Irene W. Pennington Planetarium and Space Theater continues to foster excitement for visitors of all ages.