Museum Expansion Project

ABOUT THE PEROT MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE
(updated January 20, 2011)

On November 18, 2009, the Museum of Nature & Science broke ground on a world-class, state-of-the-art museum at Victory Park in Downtown Dallas, which will supplement the Museum’s existing programming and operations at Fair Park. The $185-million museum will be named the Perot Museum of Nature & Science. Here are some fast facts about the new museum that The Dallas Morning News architecture critic Scott Cantrell called “the boldest piece of modern architecture to hit Dallas.”

NAME:	In May 2008, the Perot children made a $50-million gift to the Museum in honor of their parents, Margot and H. Ross Perot. The Victory Park facility will be named in their honor. The Perot children are Katherine Reeves, Carolyn Rathjen, Suzanne McGee, Nancy Perot and Ross Perot, Jr.
THEME:	Because the Museum’s mission is to “inspire minds through nature and science,” the new museum design fully embraces both the natural world, such as biology and geology, and the technology and engineering sciences of the manmade world.
LOCATION:	The new museum is being built on a 4.7-acre site at 1155 Broom St. in Dallas, adjacent to Victory Park. The facility is situated just north of Downtown Dallas at the northwest corner of Woodall Rodgers and Field Street.
ARCHITECTS:	The architect is Thom Mayne, 2005 Pritzker Prize Laureate, and his Californiabased firm Morphosis. Mayne is the first American since 1991 to be selected for architecture’s most prestigious award. The landscape architect is Dallas-based Talley Associates.
EXHIBIT DESIGNERS:	AMAZE Design Paul Bernhard Exhibit Design, Austin Science Museum of Minnesota
PROJECT TEAM:	Consulting Architect General Contractor Development Manager	Good Fulton & Farrell Balfour Beatty Construction Hillwood Development Corp.
MUSEUM LEADERSHIP:	CEO: Nicole G. Small COO: Terrell Falk CFO: Sally Pietsch VP Development: Elisabeth Galley Chief Curator: Anthony Fiorillo, PhD Director of Education: Steve Hinkley Board Chair: Peggy Allison Expansion Campaign Chair: Forrest Hoglund
SIZE:	The 180,000-square-foot museum is 170 feet tall, equivalent to approximately 14 stories high.
PROJECT COST:	$185 million (includes site acquisition, exhibition planning and design, construction of the new building, education programs and an endowment).
DESCRIPTION:	The design features an overall building mass conceived as a large cube floating over a landscaped plinth (roof). The landscape consists of an acre of rolling roofscape comprised of rock and native drought-resistant grasses reflecting Texas’s indigenous landscape and demonstrates a living system that will evolve naturally over time. A significant feature is the 54-foot continuous-flow escalator contained in a 150-foot glass-enclosed tube-like structure that dramatically extends outside the building. A large urban plaza – complete with cafe tables, seating and water features – will be available for gatherings and public events. The building itself will be used as a “living” example of engineering, sustainability and technology at work.
MUSEUM FEATURES:	Five floors of public space – approximately 80 percent of the building, which is a remarkably high degree – is devoted for public usage. Expansive glass-enclosed lobby and adjacent outdoor terrace with downtown view. 10 permanent exhibition halls including a children’s museum and outdoor playspace/courtyard. State-of-the-art traveling exhibition gallery designated to host world-class exhibitions. Ground-level exhibit workshops surrounded by large windows making workshop activity accessible for public viewing. Education wing equipped with six learning labs. Large-format, multi-media digital cinema with seating for 300. Flexible-space auditorium Public café and retail store Exhibit workshops visible from the ground level Offices for museum staff
ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES:	The building and the outdoor areas will be used as “a dynamic science lesson and living lab” providing provocative examples of engineering, technology and conservation. A rain-water collection system will capture run-off from the roof and parking lot to fill two 25,000-gallon cisterns, which will satisfy all non-potable water needs.
EXHIBIT HALLS:	Exhibit halls will feature video; 3-D computer animation; thrilling, lifelike simulation; hands-on activities; interactive kiosks and dioramas; quizzes; tabletop landscapes; animated music videos; high-resolution, computer-generated flyovers; and more. The exhibit halls are as follows: Being Human Hall The Rees-Jones Foundation Dynamic Earth Hall Engineering, Technology and Innovation Hall Life: Then & Now Hall Bird Gallery Life Hall Tom Hunt Energy Hall Children’s Museum Sports & Play Hall Gems & Minerals Hall Universe Hall Jan and Trevor Rees-Jones Exhibition Hall
ACCESS:	Visitors can access the museum from multiple entrances: The main entrance on the plaza side facing west towards Victory Park and the anticipated future second alignment for DART; a major event/education entrance on Field Street to serve large school buses and tourist groups; and a grand staircase located on the southeast corner of the site allowing foot traffic from the Woodall Rodgers Deck Park and Arts District to connect to the Museum.
PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION:	Parking will be available around the building and in nearby lots under the TRANSPORTATION: Woodall Rodgers overpass. Visitors will have easy access by riding DART light rail trains to Victory Station, by traveling on any of the nearby roads or highways, or by using the Katy Trail pedestrian/bicycle paths.
NEARBY:	Conveniently located in the heart of Dallas near the American Airlines Center (where the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars play), the Arts District, Uptown, the West End and more. The Victory Park facility will offer easy access to roads, DART, and pedestrian and bicycle paths on the Katy Trail.
WEBCAM:	To track the progress of the new Museum, view the construction site WEBCAM at natureandscience.org/expansion/default.asp
INFORMATION:	Go to natureandscience.org, call 972-201-0555 or send email to expansion@natureandscience.org
MEDIA CONTACT:	Becky Mayad 214-352-1881 Cell 214-697-7745 bmayad@sbcglobal.net