Weiss Energy Hall at The Houston Museum of Natural Science
Another huge project that I had the pleasure of being a part of while working with Paul Bernhard Exhibits was creating the permanent exhibits in the Weiss Energy Hall: a 30,000 square foot exhibit hall that takes up the top floor of the Houston Museum of Natural Science. These exhibits are themed around how we create and use different forms of energy, as well as future energy technologies. The fabrication and design work that I was involved with in this project were some of the most interesting and most challenging of my career. The exhibits involved highly complex prototype machines, amusement park-type rides, massive informational displays, real manned submarines that can be controlled and manipulated by museum guests, and many more cutting edge exhibit types. This is truly a different level of museum and has to be seen to be truly understood.
Future Car Exhibit:
This exhibit features an idea of what cars could look like in the future. This car was made with a steel frame that was then covered in hard foam, sculpted, coated and given an automotive paint finish to make it look like a real car. This was then placed on top of a sculptural ramp with informational displays.
Oil Drilling Exhibit:
This exhibit was challenging on so many levels, but ended up being my favorite part of the museum. My team and I built a massive steel structure and with a complex hub that hangs from it and spins three larger-than-life-sized fiberglass drill bits with the help of a chain driven electric motor. The steel structure was then covered in sculpted simulated stone, so that the museum guests feel like they are really inside of an oil well with the drill spinning overhead.
Testing the hub on the ground before hanging it from the structure. This fabrication had to be incredibly tight and tied in precision machined moving parts.
Testing the hub once installed and setting up the motor.
Testing the machine once it was finally assembled in the unfinished exhibit hall. After everything was dialed in, it was then covered with sculpted stone and painted to be the incredible exhibit that it is today.
Other rides, display centers, and interactive exhibits:
This museum includes two amusement park style rides, as well as many interactive exhibits including a submarine with arms that can be controlled by the participant to pick up objects and complete tasks.
Aluminum Door Assembly for the Eagle Ford Shale Experience Ride:
This is a trap door assembly in which a robot comes down through the doors from above and guides the museum guests through the ride experience. It is a mirrored assembly in which two sliding carts come down through rolling trap doors. The assembly is made of aluminum square tubing with laser cut and machined parts with very tight tolerances.