Chicago Children’s Museum is dedicated to improving children’s lives by creating a community where play and learning connect. In the new Water City experience, children of all ages and abilities create their own experiments, narratives, sensory experiences, and explorations of the physical properties of water under Chicago’s iconic skyline.
Created to replace a well-loved water exhibit that had been in use since the museum’s opening more than 25 years ago, Water City uses the Chicago skyline to create a unique sense of place. Water flows around Buckingham Fountain, the Navy Pier, and Willis Tower through three legs that mimic the three branches of the Chicago River.
All elements of Water City were prototyped, fabricated, and tested at Roto to ensure materials functioned as they were intended, spinning freely, hitting their water targets, playing music, and activating weather activities like fog and rain.
Roto worked with Chicago Children’s Museum as well as the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois on to ensure construction methods and equipment used throughout this ambitious water table met and exceeded each of their requirements.
Highlights
- Complete exhibit, interpretive design, and construction from concept to fabrication and installation
- Unique, custom fabricated Chicago-themed elements found throughout the exhibit
- Total water capacity of more than 500 gallons
- Ultrasonic fogger that atomizes potable water from a separate line to create Lake Michigan “fog"
- Multiple interactive features with movable elements and audible components
