Pepper Construction

Architect:

DkGr, LLC

Scope Of Work

The Paramount School of Excellence is an inner-city K-8 charter school in Indianapolis that prepares students for real-world problem solving. The school’s new Time and Space Discovery Center brings space to life with a scaled replica of the solar system and a planetarium representing innovations in time and space. This design-build space includes teaching and research space, digital projection, surround sound, high-definition LED monitors with Apple Air Play interactivity, live NASA HDTV and a life-sized astronaut display, which allow students to experience a museum-like atmosphere as classes enjoy lessons designed for interacting with the physical space. 

Out of This World Technology

The main room in the planetarium is made up of a series of angled adjacent walls, each with its own unique dimensions and arched openings. A 3D model provided the supplier of the fiber cement panels with shop drawing CAD files that could be directly imported into their CNC machine for fabrication. We exported 2D elevations of each wall from the architectural Revit mode, then generated shop drawings with joints and fastener locations of each wall. This process assisted the project team in converting a complex design into a consistent and reliable end product.

3D Printer Mock Ups

Countless specialty mockups were provided to the client including; planets, form dividers, planetarium riser, and panels which included framing, lighting, plywood, and fiber cement. Planets and fasteners were made on a 3D printer.

Custom Universe

Just about every detail was a unique piece of custom art on this project. From a full?size astronaut mannequin and spaceship installation to the entire solar system display, our team rolled our sleeves up and creatively solved the problem to achieve the owner's wishes and remain within budget.