The Lookout

Climb up into this interactive “clubhouse” where you can raise a flag, open and close louvers and peek down (or up) a periscope to see what’s happening down below (or up above.) Then activate some “solar music,” chimes powered by solar panels.

Then get digging with shovels, rakes, buckets and trucks in the new Sand Box, bordered by a mosaic wall designed by Studio Arts Educator Andrea Shockling.

Allegheny Waterworks

Fountains come in all shapes in sizes and need three things to work:

• A pump to start the water flow (most fountains use electric or solar pumps)
• A reservoir to hold the water
• Discharge points to let the water out

If you’ve ever used a squirt gun, you’ve held the components of a fountain in your hand. The trigger acts as a pump, drawing water from the reservoir, which is the handle or the entire body of the toy. The discharge point is the hole that the water comes out, forced into a stream by the pump. (Referenced from: How Stuff Works.)

The reservoir of the Artifact Fountain is placed at the top of the fountain, 13 feet in the air. This provides enough water pressure to move the water down through the fountain. Municipal water towers that supply water to houses and businesses are placed many feet in the air to provide enough water pressure (50 - 100 PSI) to achieve this. Each foot of height provides 0.43 PSI (pounds per square inch) of pressure. In a large city, buildings are often taller than the water tower, so they need their own pump and water tower. (Referenced from How Stuff Works.)

Animated Earth

The fluid in Animated Earth is made of clay particles, water and an emulsifier. The emulsifier is what suspends the clay particles in water and makes it feel so slippery. This mixture is called "clay slip" and is non-toxic and safe to handle.

This type of clay slip is used in the manufacturing of coffee mugs and other ceramic dinnerware. It is poured into plaster molds, dried, cleaned and fired in a kiln. This method is also used to make bathroom fixtures like sinks and tubs.

Emulsifiers are used in foods, lotions and conditioners to prevent separation of ingredients. You may have noticed the following emulsifiers as ingredients in common household products: cetyl alcohol, polysorbate 20 and stearic acid.