Carnegie Science Center’s New PPG Science Pavilion To Open June 16, 2018

Carnegie Science Center said the new PPG Science Pavilion expansion to the Science Center will open to the public at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 16, 2018. The $33 million, 48,000-square-foot expansion ushers in a new era of enhanced STEM programs, state-of-the-art exhibits, and public exploration of science and technology at the North Shore destination.

The PPG Science Pavilion is the centerpiece of SPARK! A Campaign for Carnegie Science Center, which was launched in 2014. Through the campaign, more than 350 donors contributed a total of $46 million for the Science Center’s strategic plan’s signature projects. PPG and the PPG Foundation generously gave $7.5 million to the campaign, supporting the addition and numerous improvements to the Science Center.



“Today, we are privileged to dedicate this dynamic building together – a building with a mission to help prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s opportunities by energizing them about science, technology, engineering, and math,” said Michael H. McGarry, PPG chairman and CEO. “At PPG, we know first-hand the importance of sparking a passion for science and math in students, as well as the need for a skilled STEM workforce.”
The PPG Science Pavilion adds several exciting features to the Science Center:

• FedEx STEM Learning Labs will allow the Science Center to expand its STEM education offerings, model best practices in STEM education for preschoolers, and inspire the future workforce through camps and classes on topics such as coding, cyber security, and river chemistry. Camps and classes at the Science Center have operated at capacity for many years, so the new PPG Science Pavilion with nine new learning spaces – one of which is a wet lab – can offer more programs for children and adults, plus host additional teacher professional development programs on STEM education;
• Scaife Exhibit Gallery, a 14,000-square-foot space, will host touring exhibitions, the first being “THE ART OF THE BRICK,” artist Nathan Sawaya’s breathtaking art exhibition crafted entirely from LEGO bricks, which opens Saturday. The Scaife Exhibit Gallery will attract large-scale, blockbuster exhibitions that currently bypass the city;
• PointView Hall, a modern conference and event space with an amazing view of the Pittsburgh skyline, gives the City a new, prime location for meetings, conferences, weddings, and social events.

“The PPG Science Pavilion will allow us to better serve the community,” Carnegie Science Center Co-Director Ann Metzger said. “The Science Center already is the No. 1 visited museum in Pittsburgh with 500,000 visitors a year. We expect that number to dramatically increase in the coming years.”

PPG and the Science Center began their partnership 37 years ago, starting with PPG’s support of the Science Center’s predecessor organization, Buhl Science Center, in 1981. PPG and the PPG Foundation’s $7.5 million gift to the SPARK! Campaign is the single largest donation in the history of the Science Center. The PPG Science Pavilion reflects both PPG and the Science Center’s lasting commitment to education, life, and career prospects of children and the economic vitality of the Pittsburgh region.

“PPG and all the generous donors who made this expansion possible have played a key role in ensuring children and adults who come to the Science Center will enjoy a robust variety of hands-on activities and programs for many years to come,” Carnegie Science Center Co-Director Ron Baillie said. “It is a fantastic addition to not only the Science Center, but to the Pittsburgh region, and we’re incredibly grateful to PPG for their support.”

The building is LEED Gold certified by the United States Green Building Council. This means the U.S. Green Building Council has recognized that PPG Science Pavilion is a healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green building. Indovina Associates Architects, LaQuatra Bonci Associates, Turner Construction Company, and Oxford Development Company executed the design and construction of the expansion, building the structure to LEED’s environment-focused specifications. The building is coated with multiple PPG products, including PPG PAINTS SPEEDHIDE interior paint, MEGASEAL epoxy by PPG, and more. Carnegie Science Center’s PPG Science Pavilion serves as an example of sustainable building practices.