Hohhot Children’s Discovery Museum

Far East Discovery

Focusing on creating a fun environment of learning, for children under 10, this creative and innovative museum is the first children’s museum in Inner Mongolia and the largest of its kind in China. The museum contains more than 155,000 square feet of exhibit space divided into two wings. “Explore,” presents a journey with the human body and the world beginning with the Me, Family, and City galleries on the ground floor, continuing through the Region, Country, World, and Space galleries on a series of ascending platforms that lead further into the museum. Hands-on exhibits include a climbing tower in the City’s Construction Zone, water play on the Country’s Mountainside, and puppetry play in the World gallery. In the “Investigate” wing, visitors travel sequentially through time, from Earth’s Formation, Prehistoric Life, Ancient Times, and Early Inventions to Modern Times and the Future galleries. Exhibits in this wing include a tinkerer’s workshop, the science of volcanoes and rocks, the physics of simple machines, and future technologies.

Overcoming Cultural Construction Barriers

kubik maltbie was responsible for the fabrication, shipping and on-site installation of the first-floor exhibits covering an area between 20,000 and 25,000 square feet. The scope of work included prototype and graphics production, interactives, AV, lighting and media components. One of the most unique items built was a giant head with various interactive sections housed within. The language barrier, initial building conditions, cultural differences in construction approach, long-distance shipments, and a significant difference in time zone presented unique project challenges that were resourcefully overcome.