A Bold New Chapter in Museum Design: "Prototype" to Launch at Scioto Audubon Park

Tucked inside the green expanse of Columbus’ Scioto Audubon Park, construction is now underway on what promises to be one of the most imaginative cultural experiences in the country. The team behind the project, creative design-build firm Roto, has officially broken ground on a 30,000-square-foot facility set to redefine what a museum can be. And now, it has a name: Prototype: The Experimental Museum.

Slated to open its doors to the public shortly after Labor Day 2025, Prototype is not your typical museum. Rather than curating history or displaying artifacts, it’s being built as an immersive playground of evolving ideas—an invitation to explore, create, and be part of something radically new. According to Roto, the museum will serve as a living laboratory, where guests don’t just observe—they participate, react, and influence future exhibits.

“Each gallery more closely resembles a sound stage for a film than a traditional museum interior,” explains David Kozan, one of the lead architectural designers on the project. Designed with towering 17-foot ceilings and flexible black-box spaces, Prototype is built to house large-scale, multisensory installations. Expect to encounter everything from kinetic sculptures and virtual reality salons to immersive films, digital dreamscapes, and illusion-based environments.

Nick Braun, Roto’s VP of Interactive Media, describes the museum’s content as “cutting-edge applications with tools people haven’t yet seen in museums anywhere.” His team, which includes digital artists and software veterans from companies like 2K and Microsoft, is crafting original experiences that blur the lines between technology, art, and emotional engagement.

But Prototype isn’t just about spectacle—it’s a reflection of curiosity itself. “Creativity is bred by curiosity,” says founder Joseph Wisne. “Our goal is to give curious people new ways to explore their creative thoughts and emotions.” That sense of open-ended discovery is built into the museum’s DNA. Exhibits are expected to evolve frequently, shaped by direct visitor feedback and experimentation.

That evolution will be fueled in part by partnerships with other innovative organizations. Prototype is already in talks with local and international institutions including BalletMet, The Columbus Symphony, the Champaign Aviation Museum, and Taiwanese performing arts group MeImage. These collaborations will help Prototype deliver experiences that stretch beyond what any single organization could create on its own.

While traditional museums may lean into safe and static content, Prototype aims to be dynamic, daring, and ever-changing. “It’s where edgy meets experimental,” says Dana Russell, Roto’s VP of Brand & Culture. With adult audiences in mind, the museum is positioning itself as a destination for date nights, group outings, and anyone craving a creative jolt.

As work continues behind the scenes, anticipation is building. Visitors will soon be able to reserve tickets at prototype.org, where updates, job openings, and sneak peeks will be shared in the months ahead. For now, the countdown has begun to what may be one of the most adventurous museum openings in recent memory—where curiosity isn’t just welcomed, it’s the main attraction.