California Science Center reaches major topping out milestone on the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center

In collaboration with ZGF Architects, Arup is providing a suite of services including structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and civil engineering, as well as fire and life safety, acoustics, and audio-visual consulting. As the project’s structural engineer, Arup is delivering innovative solutions for Endeavour’s new home, including the design of the diagrid enclosure structure and the base-isolated pad supporting the shuttle stack. Made up of a framework of diagonally intersecting beams, the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center’s diagrid is a self-supporting framing system on the perimeter of the building, eliminating the need for interior columns and allowing for a dramatic, unobstructed view of space shuttle Endeavour in the building’s Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery.

Jeffrey Rudolph, President and CEO of the California Science Center, said: “The California Science Center is fortunate to have a remarkable team that has helped us achieve this historic milestone. We thank and commend our dedicated staff and our incredible partners: MATT Construction; ZGF, our architects; Arup, our building engineers; and Plas-Tal Manufacturing, our steel fabricator; whose years of careful planning and expertise have made every stage of this complex and unprecedented operation a possibility.”

The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will nearly double the Science Center’s educational exhibit space, adding an impressive collection of 100 aerospace artifacts integrated with 100 new hands-on exhibits. Guests of all ages will be encouraged to investigate scientific and engineering principles of atmospheric flight and the exploration of the universe in three major galleries— the Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery, Korean Air Aviation Gallery, and the Kent Kresa Space Gallery.

As part of this new museum addition, Endeavour will be presented in an awe-inspiring “ready-to-launch" vertical configuration, complete with solid rocket boosters and an external tank, in what will be the world’s only display of an authentic space shuttle system. As part of the project team, Arup worked with the California Science Center to confirm acceptable behavior during large earthquakes.

Amie Nulman, Principal and Project Director at Arup, said: “Topping out this incredible structure is a testament to the dedication and collaboration of our entire team. We're proud to contribute to the California Science Center's mission of inspiring future generations with the wonders of space flight."

Earlier this year the entire authentic Space Shuttle stack was lifted into its “ready-to-launch” vertical configuration at 180 feet. This arrangement consists of the flown orbiter, Endeavour, mated to real solid rocket boosters and ET-94, the last remaining flight-qualified external tank, all of which are now placed inside the future Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center. 

The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center is the final phase of the California Science Center’s three-phase, three-decade masterplan to develop one of the world’s leading science learning centers located in Los Angeles’s Exposition Park. Construction work on the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center building is scheduled to be completed in mid-2025, and once opened, general admission will be free to the public.