A Building Brainstorm is brewing at the Canadian Children’s Museum

A Building Brainstorm is brewing at the Canadian Children’s Museum

Gatineau, Quebec, February 23, 2009 — Tomorrow’s architects, builders and engineers will soon be trying out their skills at the Canadian Children’s Museum. Building Brainstorm, an exhibition that opens on May 30, will give young visitors an opportunity to discover the many facets of construction and design as they plan tree houses, build model high-rises and draw their own blueprints.

Visitors to Building Brainstorm will step into a kids-friendly studio filled with architectural plans, photographs, models and authentic building elements. The children will explore interactive workbenches as well as job sites equipped with materials and tools. In this stimulating environment, they will work together to find creative solutions to architectural and engineering challenges.

“Building Brainstorm is a great introduction to the art and science of architecture. It will encourage our young visitors to think about their surroundings in a new way, and to imagine what we can do to make them better,” says Dr. Victor Rabinovitch, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. “With its location inside the Canadian Museum of Civilization, itself an architectural masterpiece, the Children’s Museum is a magical, inspiring place to explore the infinite potential of architectural design.”

The hands-on activities in the exhibition will introduce children to different building designs and materials from around the world, including straw, leaves, mud and ice. Young visitors will research, design, model and test their own building ideas, and experiment with shapes, patterns, textures and light. In the process, they will learn about creating structures suited to different climates and uses, and to the needs of the people who live, work or play inside them.

The exhibition, aimed at children aged four to 12 and their caregivers, will place a special emphasis on environmentally friendly building practices and invite visitors to think about how to make their designs green.

Building Brainstorm was developed by the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, in collaboration with the Center for Architecture Foundation in New York City, as part of the Youth Museum Exhibit Collaborative, a consortium of nine leading North American children’s museums.

Special activities are being planned in conjunction with Building Brainstorm, which will be presented from May 30 to September 7, 2009 at the Canadian Children’s Museum.

The Canadian Children’s Museum, one of the Canadian Museum of Civilization’s most popular attractions, provides a creative space for children and families to learn about the world and broaden their cultural experience. Passports in hand, visitors discover one incredible destination after another. Whether on a visit to homes in the International Village, a trek to a desert pyramid, a jaunt to the Port of Entry to help unload a cargo ship, or a stroll through the bustling Market Bazaar, visitors encounter endless ways to learn about the world and one another.