The architecture, exhibits and landscape at KidsQuest Children’s Museum are firmly rooted in the Pacific Northwest.

While the galleries share a consistent palette of colors and materials, each exhibit shines in its own unique way. Kids - and their friends and caregivers - find activities that suit their age, learning style, skills and interests. Excellent programs are featured throughout the museum, where staff build on the framework provided by the exhibits to engage visitors.

Architecture and Exhibit Design by Alissa and her team while with The Portico Group (now MIG Inc.).

Photos by Lisa Merrill, Alissa Rupp

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KIDSQUEST CHILDREN'S MUSEUM

BELLEVUE, WA

KidsQuest opened in 2005 in Factoria Mall and moved to downtown Bellevue in 2017. Both spaces achieved record growth as soon as they were launched, bringing immersive play, art, and STEM activities to hundreds of thousands of children and their families over the past fifteen years.

The second incarnation of Kidsquest is a renovated and expanded building that was built to house a more traditional museum. The building was modernized and reconfigured to accommodate 21st century interactive exhibits, engaging programs and events, and contemporary staff and board needs. Systems were updated, colors were modernized, and materials were made more durable to support higher attendance and increased use overall.

KidsQuest staff and board felt that the museum should reflect its surroundings; the goal was to encourage kids and families to understand this was their museum, and that a sense of place is important. Thus the exhibits are rooted in their place, and in the history and future of that place. The exhibits are designed to cover the widest range of play, learning and engagement styles. The colors and finishes fit well into the aesthetic of the Pacific Northwest, even while incorporating compelling, bright hues and beautiful natural materials.

Alissa has been pleased to serve as architect as well as trusted adviser to museum staff and board members; the team she led provided architecture, landscape architecture, exhibit design, interpretive planning and graphic/identity design for both projects. FRAME continues to assist and serve KidsQuest as the museum continues to grow and thrive.

Location: Bellevue, Washington 

Client: KidsQuest Children’s Museum 

Size: 13,500 SF Museum, 1.5 Acre Site 

Prime Architect, Landscape Architect and Exhibit Designer: The Portico Group (now MIG Inc.) 

Exhibit Fabrication: Turner Exhibits, Dillon Works! and Pacific Studio

General Contractor: GLY Construction

Completion Date: January 2017 

Alissa’s role: Principal in Charge, Architect