Step Right Up!
Burns & McDonnell’s Battle of the Brains is one of the nation’s most unique K-12 STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) competitions, with thousands of students competing to transform their idea into a permanent exhibit at Kansas City’s Science City at Union Station.
Burns & McDonnell
The Challenge
In 2021, cheered on by their families, teachers and hundreds of proud fans in the community via livestream, 12 Tonganoxie Middle School students took the stage to unveil Step Right Up!, Science City’s newest exhibit.
The student’s winning proposal, Step Right Up! is designed to help guests overcome carnival games’ deception and learn to win. Burns & McDonnell’s integrated team of architects, designers, engineers and construction professionals collaborated to transform the students’ vision into a reality. Before the grand reveal, the students were treated to the opportunity to experience a behind the scenes look at what it took to turn their initial idea into an interactive exhibit.
Project Vision
Exploring STEM concepts through classic carnival games, the vibrant exhibit examines the difference between losing and winning in terms of understanding probability, statistics, the law of physics and a body’s natural ability to connect sight and movements.
The integrated team took the students’ design and brought it to life, building an immersive experience with the vision to create a space that felt as though a traveling carnival had temporarily setup shop, bringing new excitement and thrills to children while transporting adult visitors back to carnivals of their youth.
Photo Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell
The entrance to Step Right Up! greets visitors with vibrant color and features educational insight on the history of carnival games.
Photo Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell
The center of the exhibit features a custom Roller Bowler interactive, designed to simultaneously entertain children and their parents.
Photo Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell
Each interactive has been uniquely branded with elements reminiscent of the challenges that lie in store for guests.
Photo Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell
Each interactive has been uniquely branded with elements reminiscent of the challenges that lie in store for guests.
Design & Execution
Beginning with spatial planning and strategy, the Burns & McDonnell team designed a space that would support each carnival game. All exhibits elements were analyzed to determine functionality that would best illustrate the science secret behind each game.
Through the use of birch plywood — formed into exhibit casework and irregularly sized mirror boxes throughout the space — the team was able to instill the feeling of impermanence. Additionally, a fantastical explosion of color and energy emerges from each box, displaying a uniquely branded carnival interactive. A total of 11 interactive exhibit features were incorporated to illustrate the different laws of physics.
Photo Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell
The revealing ceiling gives viewers below on the first floor a sneak peak of all the activity happening in Step Right Up!
Photo Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell
Tonganoxie students have fun experimenting with Newton’s second law at the Roller Bowler exhibit.
Photo Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell
A Tonganoxie student tests his hand-eye coordination at the Maze Craze exhibit.
Slideshow
Step Right Up!
Photo Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell
Step Right Up is located on the second floor of Union Station Kansas City’s science center, Science City.
Photo Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell
The entrance to Step Right Up! greets visitors with vibrant color and features educational insight on the history of carnival games.
Photo Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell
The center of the exhibit features a custom Roller Bowler interactive, designed to simultaneously entertain children and their parents.
Photo Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell
Each interactive has been uniquely branded with elements reminiscent of the challenges that lie in store for guests.
Photo Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell
Each interactive has been uniquely branded with elements reminiscent of the challenges that lie in store for guests.
Photo Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell
The revealing ceiling gives viewers below on the first floor a sneak peak of all the activity happening in Step Right Up!
Photo Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell
Tonganoxie students have fun experimenting with Newton’s second law at the Roller Bowler exhibit.
Photo Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell
A Tonganoxie student tests his hand-eye coordination at the Maze Craze exhibit.