Hands On Children’s Museum
Play and learning inspired by the Cascade Mountains, the shores of Puget Sound, and the state's capitol city.
The Puget Sound Beach—with its challenging boulder, fun scampering logs, and majestic Megan D schooner—offers many opportunities for adventurous outdoor play. The Growing Garden invites visitors to enjoy the many sensory delights and learning moments offered by soil, rocks, flowers, veggies and herbs, as well as the bugs, worms and birds that also enjoy the plants.
OLYMPIA, WA
The “new” museum opened to great acclaim in 2012. Since then Alissa has continued to work with Hands On Children’s Museum as they redesigned their logo and signage, expanded and enriched their “Make Space” for STEM learning, and renovated the Puget Sound schooner Megan D for installation as an amazing space for full-body play in their outdoor exhibits. Most recently, FRAME helped HOCM create the Bouldering Beach, which was designed and installed in honor of former employee Hannah Steinweg, to challenge climbers of all ages. FRAME also worked with MxM Landscape Architects to redesign the Growing Garden so that it is more accessible and more fun for staff and visitors alike.
To accommodate ongoing record attendance, HOCM will expand again in the near future, adding over 35,000 SF of interior space and nearly an acre of outdoor exhibit and program areas. FRAME is poised to assist, continuing this long and productive relationship.
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Size: 28,000 SF Museum, ½ Acre Exterior Exhibits
Completion Date: Recent projects: 2019-23. Original museum and exhibits: 2012
Selected Awards and Citations: Noyce Foundation – Bright Lights Award, LEED Gold Certification, Green Globes Certification, IMLS Museums for America Award
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Prime Architect, museum building: Miller | Hull Partnership
Interior and Exterior Exhibit Designer, and Architectural Consultant: FRAME (recent projects); The Portico Group (original indoor and outdoor exhibits)
Landscape Architect: MxM Landscape Architecture (recent projects); The Portico Group (original site development)
Exhibit Fabricators: Turner Exhibits, Edge Concrete, HOCM Staff, El Dorado Climbing (boulder)
Alissa’s Role: Architect, Exhibit Designer and Principal-in-Charge
Photos by HOCM, Alissa Rupp
“Over the past 15 years, the Hands On Children’s Museum has grown from a hometown start-up to the most-visited children’s museum in the Pacific Northwest. Alissa Rupp is a core component of its success.
She is a gifted place-based designer with a dedication to helping organizations at any stage of their development. Hands On is a regional treasure thanks, in part, to Alissa’s innumerable contributions over many years. “
~ Patty Belmonte, Executive Director, Hands On Children’s Museum