Opened in May 2008, NCM blends contemporary art with unstructured play to create an environment that appeals to children as well as adults. As San Diego's largest green building project, the 50,000-square-foot structure operates on solar energy, is constructed from recycled building materials, is convection-cooled by an elevator shaft, and features an Organic To Go café. Interactive exhibits include a texture forest; a rain house powered by child-operated bicycles; a graffiti-tagged climbing wall; and Tent City, accessed through illuminated tunnels, where children can build forts. Projects at the hands-on Wet Studio change monthly, and encourage visitors to work with clay or even use real cars as a canvas on which to paint. The adjoining 1-acre park features outdoor reading circles and is conveniently located across from the Convention Center trolley stop.
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