KIDSQUEST
Children's Museum

Location: Bellevue WA

Owner: KidsQuest Children's Museum

Structural Engineer: MLA Engineering

Banner Rendering courtesy of the Portico Group

KidsQuest Children’s Museum features hands-on exhibits allowing children to explore various aspects of sight, sound, touch, and discovery with the goals to educate and entertain children ages 0 to 9 years old. The museum features many new exhibits including The Sticks and Stone Outdoor Gallery, a toddler-friendly Splash Zone, the On the Go Gallery featuring a Big Rig semi-truck, a two-story Climbing Sculpture, and the Bellevue Mercantile.

The location is in the heart of the downtown Bellevue’s cultural hub for families, the Bellevue Regional Library, the Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue Square, and several parks within walking distance.

MLA Engineering was responsible for the structural design and extensive seismic retrofit of the existing building into the conversion into the children’s museum. The project required new openings for doors and windows, upgrades to shear walls, modifications and strengthening of floor elements to support the new exhibits. The full-size truck and two-story climbing frame required specialized coordination for installation.