NC Museum of Natural Sciences' new Nature Research Center in Raleigh (Photo courtesy of Art Howard)
The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences new Nature Research Center is scheduled to open in Raleigh this Friday. The NRC is the expansion wing of the Museum, and the project is an 80,000-square-foot marvel that’s been in the works for more than a decade in downtown Raleigh. It’s expected to add another 200,000 visitors to the 700,000 that already visit the museum every year. Nature never sleeps, so the Nature Research Center will open its doors to the public for the first time with a 24-hour celebration rich in activities and entertainment for everyone, filled with performances, special appearances and interactive exchanges.
Alan Friedman, a New York-based consultant in museum development and science communication, has seen plenty of ambitious museum projects over the past 30 years. But he’s never seen anything quite as audacious as the Nature Research Center. “It will put [North Carolina] in the ranks of the most innovative natural-history museums in the world,” Friedman said. “Combining research with educating the public about research tools is very difficult to do, and many have tried. We can explain what we found, but explaining how we found it and knew it was right is far more challenging. The North Carolina museum is tackling that head-on.”
The center was built with environmental sustainability in mind and keen attention to detail. The sidewalks are permeable, with water-recovery systems to minimize rainwater runoff. Solar collectors generate a significant chunk of the electricity needed to run the place, and 30 parking spaces in the garage are fitted with electric-car charging stations. Tinted windows cut down on heat while allowing as much ambient natural lighting inside as possible. The bathrooms are green, of course. And the granite staircase in the main lobby appears to fly through the air without visible support.