DMR designed a renovation and addition to the Trailside Nature and Science Center, Union County’s environmental education center and New Jersey’s first nature museum. The facility is located within the Watchung Reservation, a 2,000-acre site of woodlands, fields, streams, hiking trails and lakes.
The Trailside Nature and Science Center provides an interactive learning environment that includes 4,500 square feet of state-of-the art exhibits, including a 34-foot American beech tree exhibit in the atrium. The building also features classrooms that overlook the reservation, a multipurpose room, a library, children’s discovery room and a 250-seat auditorium.
DMR designed an addition to the museum to accommodate the required program, while incorporating the original 1970s building detail and facade. This project combined several buildings into one efficient complex for an expanding parks service for all visitors.