Exploring the Past, Present, and Future of Energy.

"Powering the Future" is the newest permanent exhibit at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, exploring all the ways energy shapes our lives today and tomorrow. Building on the success of our Henry Crown Space Center redesign at GMSI, Bridgewater Studio was selected to design and produce the exhibit, transforming the museum's grand South Court into an experience that makes a complex subject engaging, interactive, and accessible for visitors of all ages.

The Challenge

Energy touches nearly every aspect of modern life, making it one of the most expansive topics a museum can tackle. Our challenge was to transform concepts like generation, distribution, storage, conservation, and consumption into an experience that felt relevant and understandable to a broad audience. The exhibit also needed to serve multiple visitor types simultaneously, from young children seeking hands-on play to adults interested in the future of energy, while creating a cohesive story across a large, highly visible gallery space.

Strategy

Bridgewater approached the exhibit by organizing the story of energy into multiple “scales” of experience. Visitors explore energy as it relates to their own homes, their communities, and the larger systems that power our world. This framework created multiple entry points into the content, allowing every guest to connect with the subject matter in a meaningful way. Working closely with MSI from the earliest stages of development, our team leveraged its fully integrated design-build capabilities to align storytelling, interactivity, fabrication, and technology into a seamless visitor experience.

Design

The design emphasizes participation over observation. Throughout the exhibit, visitors can design power grids, explore energy choices within the home, interact with thermal imaging technology, and discover both historic and emerging energy solutions. A dramatic substation-inspired environment anchors the space, complete with immersive lighting, sound, and climbing elements. The centerpiece is an illuminated, three-story, spiral slide that transforms the concepts of potential and kinetic energy into a memorable hands-on experience while creating a striking new visual icon within the museum.

Production

Bridgewater took the project from concept through design, fabrication, integration, and installation. Our multidisciplinary team created original content, custom interactives, environmental graphics, lighting systems, and large-scale architectural elements throughout the exhibit. Particular attention was given to the engineering and operational planning of the signature slide, balancing safety, accessibility, visitor flow, and visual impact. The result is a landmark permanent exhibit that combines immersive storytelling, hands-on learning, and large-scale production into one cohesive experience.