This museum in Phoenix, completed in 1997, houses exhibition space, a demonstration theater, a special format film theater and a planetarium, along with educational and support facilities. The site is located at the edge of Heritage Square along a major traffic route into the center of Phoenix. 

The building blends, in an abstract manner, influences drawn from geological events with site-specific concerns and urban opportunities.  Silhouette and horizon merge with the phenomena of light, water, reflection and mirage.  The resulting architecture is a highly processional and participatory journey, beginning with a descent into the earth in the entrance courtyard and transition into sheltered light in the lobby, culminating in a celebration of the sky in the peak gallery with its celestial viewing terrace.  By sinking galleries, planetarium, theater and curatorial spaces into the earth, thermal stability and enhanced coolness is assured while setting the stage for the buildingís other passive energy responses.  The building acts as both an edge and a seam within its context, providing a pedestrian crossover into Heritage Square from the south, while establishing itself as a destination for occupation and exploration with a series of shaded decks, bleacher seats, terraces and  courts, which belong as much to the public realm as to the museum itself.  The resulting building form is one which is intended to stimulate a multitude of responses: at times these are powerful visceral connections to the desert place, at other times they are as ephemeral as a mirage.
 
 

In association with Executive Architect Comoyer-Hedrick Inc., Phoenix, Arizona
 
 

http://www.azscience.org/
 

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