Exploration Place is a science and discovery center, with a mission to inspire a deeper interest in science and technology through creative and fun experiences for all. Opened in 2000, it has become the premier science center in the State of Kansas. The architecturally iconic structure sits on a twenty-acre site at the confluence of the Arkansas River and its tributary, the Little Arkansas River. It is a magical location made possible by the interaction between sculptural buildings, moving water, urban density, and the iconic Keeper of the Plains. 

Exploration Place Export3
2023 09 08 Final MP Document Master Deck Page 42
2023 09 08 Final MP Document Master Deck Page 34

Hoerr Schaudt was engaged in April 2023 to lead the master planning and landscape architecture design services for their existing twenty-acre riverside park that will include a seven-acre destination playscape, waterfront amphitheater, and interpretive riverfront trail. The playscape aspires to become an iconic national attraction, embodying science-centric and interpretive play while reflecting the region’s unique ecologies and histories. It will feature ten distinct playscape rooms, which are being conceptualized in collaboration with three renowned play providers.

Exploration Place DD Hoerr Schaudt Wichita View02 Aviation Grove 2023 09 07 Final

Notable spaces and features include the signature play area known as Aviation Play Grove. This area boasts a 50-foot aviation control tower with a plane that appears to be mid-flight, a business jet and control tower, climbing tower structures, and a hot air balloon overlooking the play area from the adjacent climbable slide hillside. The Water Play Cascade area is situated directly next to the concessions building. It showcases a series of water play channels, runnels, and boulders winding down a concave bowl-like hillside into a central flexible water plaza, complete with a lower wading pool. Alongside these channels, you’ll find clusters of water play elements such as Archimedes screws, wheels, and rotating cups. Lastly, the Festival Plaza / Tornado Fountain area offers a flexible water plaza featuring a spiral of whirling jets intricately carved into a prairie hillside.

DD Hoerr Schaudt Wichita View03 Festival 2023 08 31 Final

The visionary redesign promises to transform Exploration Place’s riverside park into a captivating, nationally acclaimed destination, seamlessly blending science-inspired play with the rich tapestry of regional ecologies and histories. With iconic features, this reimagined space is poised to ignite curiosity and spark wonder for generations to come.

2024 PGASLA Merit Award