Cesar Pelli to design $150m CT science center.

The Connecticut Center for Science & Exploration Board of Trustees selected world renown Connecticut architect Cesar Pelli to design a state-of-the-art science center in Hartford.

The Center also announced that the project is now within $26 million of its overall fundraising goal of $150 million.

"The Connecticut Center for Science & Exploration has achieved two more important milestones," said Pfizer Inc. Chairman/CEO Dr. Henry A. McKinnell, chairman of the Center's Board of Trustees. "We have selected a world class architect to design the facility, and we are announcing $10.5 million in leadership commitments from members of the Board."

The new science center, which will be built on a site overlooking the Connecticut River in Downtown Hartford, will be designed over the next year.

Cesar Pelli & Associates, of New Haven, brings to the project a unique combination and depth of experience in commissions for major cultural institutions in urban contexts and research and scientific learning environments. The firm is recognized for designing projects in the public realm that create a sense of place and are inviting and welcoming.

"The Connecticut Center for Science & Exploration will be a building that will communicate the excitement of science to the surrounding streets, river, and highway," said Pelli in his proposal for the project. "The forms are ambitious and dynamic. They appear to reach out, beyond their physical limits."

The architect was selected after a competition, during which four world class firms presented their concepts for a landmark building. As part of the selection process, the Board also considered the firms' responsiveness to the Center's needs in documents, designs and interviews, as well as information gathered during site visits to facilities designed by the candidates, an array of public comment, and from advisors including Yale School of Architecture Dean Robert A. M. Stern and Urban Planner Ken Greenberg.

"We believe we have selected a firm that can bring excitement and creativity to this landmark institution, as well as the technical and operational capability to meet our schedule and budget," said Cheryl A. Chase, executive vice president and general counsel of Chase Enterprises, and the chair of the committee that led the architect selection.

"The selection process, especially the well attended public presentations, gave us valuable insight into the capabilities of the firms, and had the added benefit of exciting our community about one of the great applications of science--architecture."

The Center will be built with a combination of public and private funds, including $10.5 million in pledges from the six members of the Center's Board of Trustees announced by Dr. McKinnell, who leads the fundraising campaign as chair of the Finance Committee.

"These commitments reflect the strong leadership of our Board, which I trust will continue to set the pace as the campaign moves forward," said Dr. McKinnell. "I would like to thank everyone for their commitments. These are tremendously generous gifts, and I know that we will have good news to announce in December."