The Museum of Science Public Science Common reinvents one of Boston’s most adored institutions. Built within the museum's current footprint, it replaces the existing Cahners Theater. A new glass volume rises along the Charles River, replacing the original windowless brick masonry massing, offering stunning views and integrating the museum with the landscapes of Boston and Cambridge. The Public Science Common is a convening space for lectures, idea festivals, and student competitions, intended to connect Boston's scientific community with the public.

Key highlights:

• Out with the old: The project began with the surgical removal of the 1960s-era reinforced concrete roof structure, unlocking possibilities that cleared the way for a 21st-century, state-of-the-art convening space leveraging the existing structure below.
• Hybrid steel and CLT: The roof spans the space with a hybrid of steel girders with cross-laminated timber (CLT) decking, supporting high-performance theatrical rigging, tension wire grid, and movable media screens.
• Façade-forward design: The three-sided, double-skin glass curtain wall system delivers daylight, transparency, and performance. This passive envelope strategy moderates interior temperatures year-round, keeping the space cool in summer and warm in winter while offering uninterrupted views of the city and river.
• Elegant structure: Slender, built-up columns are engineered to open rather than enclose the space, enabling expansive views and flowing movement.
• Framing the future: Upgrades extended beyond the Public Science Common to support the adjacent Animal Garden, including a new facade and roof. Strengthening of the existing structure allowed for upgraded MEP systems.
• Sustainability: Sustainability is a core element of new design, with features that include CLT roof decking, super-insulated roofs with solar arrays, high-efficiency all-electric systems, and infrastructure advancing 2035 carbon neutrality goals.