In Louisiana, the Port Wonder Children’s Museum & Nature Center by CambridgeSeven will introduce students to wild life restoration

By Daniel Roche

CambridgeSeven—the historic Massachusetts office cofounded in 1962 by Ivan Chermayeff, Peter Chermayeff, and five other modernist luminaries—released images this month showing their newest project in the City of Lake Charles, Louisiana.

The Port Wonder Children’s Museum & Nature Center is a 32,000-square-foot hub by CambridgeSeven overlooking Louisiana’s scenic Lake Charles. At the new $20 million building, 23,600 square feet will be dedicated to a new children’s museum and 8,400 square feet will be used for a new sustainability-focused science center. The building will have access to a fishing pier that connects visitors with the water.

The architects designed the roofline to mimic the waterways leading to Lake Charles. The design’s distinct two curved “crests” house the children’s museum and science center, respectively, and share a lobby courtyard. “We wanted something that was iconic and eye-catching,” said Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter.