FEATURED PROJECT

National Water Ski Museum and Hall of Fame
Central Florida

The Water Ski Museum and Hall of Fame is comprised with over 10,000 SF of exhibit space, with an additional 5,000 SF of administrative and meeting areas. The complex also includes a gift shop, rotating exhibits, a conference room, and a competition ski lake.

The Florida Agricultural Museum is planned to occupy 300 acres in Flagler County. The site is bounded on the north by Pellicer Creek, on the west by U.S. Highway 1 and on the east by I-95. Architects Design Group, Inc. was selected by the Board of Trustees in cooperation with the State of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to prepare a Spatial Needs Analysis and conceptual plans for the primary Orientation / Interpretive Center. The Master Plan for the entire 300 acres was prepared as a "team approach" which included Architects Design Group, Inc. a museum planning firm and a Civil Engineer / Landscape Architect. The initial development phase anticipates site development and construction of the Orientation / Interpretative Center.

The Orlando Science Center, constructed in several minor phases, underwent a major growth in 1985-1986. Architects Design Group, Inc., selected after a public advertisement process, initiated the development program by conducting a series of program interviews with Science Center staff.

Based upon this program document, ADG proceeded to the design phases and prepared models and drawings utilized by the Science Center to obtain funding from a variety of state, local and private sources.

The subsequent development extensively renovated existing exhibit halls, shop fabrication areas and existing access / egress areas. Major new areas included a Physical Sciences Exhibit Hall, and a Physical Sciences Arcade containing "Halls" of Waves, Electricity, Forces and Light, each defined by a color and content.

The Natural Sciences Hall contains a second floor mezzanine level, introducing the public to upper views and projecting into the Physical Sciences Arcade. The Hall has been successfully utilized for traveling exhibits to such a degree that it has permanently been designated as such.

A unique and much publicized aspect of the exhibit halls is the "Tunnel of Discovery", a people walkway in which direction of travel is encouraged by computer programmed neon lights that create the illusion of motion.

All exhibit halls, including those renovated, have been designed to include extensive, and cost saving under floor systems that provide the electrical, communication, water and gas services to individual exhibits.

Architects Design Group, Inc. was selected for this unique project from a national field of architectural consultants. This project required the historic restoration of the circa 1950 art deco style Marion Theater and its adaptive reuse as a regional Children's Science Center. The Marion Theater, from it's inception, has been a critical element in downtown Ocala. This project served as the catalyst for a comprehensive historic downtown revitalization. ADG was selected for this project because of our depth of experience in historic restoration and science center design.

The existing Marion Theater presented a unique challenge in it's adaptive reuse as a science center. Typical of most theaters of the era, the floor elevation rises from the stage area to the entrance. One third of the floor area is covered by a balcony which has steps up to a third level. The remaining two-thirds of the interior has a 30' ceiling height. ADG, in preliminary design phase, used this unique configuration to the advantage of the Science Center by utilizing multi-level exhibit areas.

ADG was selected as the architect for The Math, Science and Technology Foundation's Children's Museum, a five phase interactive children's science museum and park. ADG also provided promotional materials used for fund raising and gathering public support for the project.

The City of Ames, Iowa issued an international design competition to create an icon for the City using the City's power plant that has been in operation for over 100 years. ADG perceived the power plant complex as a three dimensional, functional facility that provided a since of civil pride for the community.