Kiewit Luminarium – a place for STEM exploration – coming soon to Omaha, Nebraska.
Construction is underway on the new Kiewit Luminarium that will open its doors in spring 2023 in downtown Omaha, Neb. Kiewit Luminarium will be a welcoming and inclusive space intended for a diverse audience of all ages to explore STEM in a hands-on and engaging manner. “We hope that Kiewit Luminarium opens the door to STEM learning for those who may not think science or engineering is for them,” said Bruce Grewcock, Kiewit chairman and founding member of the project.
The 82,000-square-foot science center will complement The RiverFront Revitalization project. The building will reflect the area’s rich heritage of discovery, design, engineering and construction and will include views of the Missouri River and downtown Omaha. It will be situated between the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge and a children’s playground area in an area known as the Lewis and Clark Landing.
“We believe this innovative community space will have a powerful and lasting influence on fueling our city’s workforce development,” said Grewcock “The science center will help us nurture a diverse workforce by creating a space that will inspire young people to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and math even before they get to high school.”
The Exploratorium, a San Francisco-based museum of science, technology and arts is leading the design of programming and exhibits that reflect the community’s unique needs. The Luminarium will have four hands-on theme areas dedicated to:
- Building self and community. Exhibits on the body and its cells, as well as social science and human behavior.
- Building the world. Structures, infrastructures, landscapes, design, construction and engineering.
- Building knowledge. Physical phenomena such as light, motion, energy, sound and electricity.
- Making it count. Math, numbers and geometry.
Kiewit is proud to work with many partners to bring the Luminarium to life including Omaha Discovery Trust, a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit created to manage the project; Heritage Services, which initiated a $101 million capital campaign to build the center; HDR, which will serve as lead architect and engineer; and the Exploratorium.
Kiewit is also grateful for the generous donations of several Kiewit affiliates including the Peter Kiewit Foundation, former Kiewit Chairman Walter Scott Jr.’s foundation and the Grewcock family.
