Perot Museum Advances
June 01, 2009
With the architect and interior exhibit designers in place, the general contractor for the proposed $155 million Perot Museum of Nature & Science has now been selected.
Nicole Small, the museum's CEO, says all systems are go with the hiring of Balfour Beatty Construction, which also built the Dallas Museum of Art. The 160,000–square–foot project is on a 4.7–acre tract at the northwest corner at Field Street and Woodall Rodgers Freeway.
The groundbreaking is scheduled for later this year, and completion is expected by early 2013.
"The naming of Balfour Beatty, an internationally renowned firm with a stellar reputation, and an equally talented construction team is the next step in getting this exciting project under way," Small said.
"Thom Mayne, the Pritzker Prize–winning architect who will design the museum, is collaborating with the three exhibit designers, along with Balfour Beatty and the various construction team members, to create one of the world's most innovative, accessible and user–friendly museums to be enjoyed by everyone from preschoolers to lifelong learners."
She added that plans for the gallery halls are in the concept design phase but will be completed in time for the groundbreaking. The galleries will address a variety of topics, including medical science and the human body, paleontology, wildlife conservation and the science of sports. There will also be a children's museum.
The state–of–the–art museum is expected to become a major regional attraction – in conjunction with Houston's expanded Museum of Natural Science – for national touring exhibits, she said.
The project team also includes Good, Fulton& Farrell, which, in addition to serving as the local architect and sustainability consultant, will handle coordination with the city of Dallas, zoning matters and Fair Park studies.
Other team members are JAMA and Datum, structural engineers; BuroHappold, mechanical, electrical and plumbing; URS (formerly Dallas–based LopezGarcia Group), civil engineering services; Hillwood Development Co., development manager; Talley Associates, landscape architect; Terracon, geotechnology; and DeShazo Tang, traffic design and management.
The fund drive, chaired by Dallas and Houston oilman and civic leader Forrest Hoglund, exceeds $115 million.
Leading gifts include a $50 million gift by the Perot children in honor of their parents, Margot and Ross Perot; $10 million gifts from Hunt Petroleum, the Hoglund Foundation and family, the Rees–Jones Foundation and T. Boone Pickens; $5 million gifts from former Texas Gov. William P. Clements and Deedie and Rusty Rose; and $2.5 million from the Corrigan family.
Balfour Beatty Construction, part of London–based Balfour Beatty PLC, has worked in the U.S. commercial construction industry for 76 years.
Copyright 2009 THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS