Huffington Post
Christiana Lilly and Janie Campbell
They had us at "sharks in a ceiling,"
but we've gotta admit: this fly through video of Miami Science Museum's
upcoming new home might as well show cartoon birds circling our
planetarium-loving heads.
Watch the virtual tour above travel through walls,
defy gravity, and pull back for the glamour shots of the soon-to-be
Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science in Bicentennial Park.
Designed by Grimshaw Architects of London/New York, the
250,000-square-foot space also will feature multiple wings of exhibits,
cafes, learning centers, and gardens, fountains and pools forming an
oasis in the midst of urban density when it's completed in 2015
Oh, and did we mention sharks in a ceiling? If not: sharks in a ceiling
Say goodbye again to raves in Bicentennial Park: the first shovel
will hit the ground Friday morning to begin construction on the new
Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, turning the Miami Science
Museum into a living sail of sorts -- a a sleek hall of learning
designed to catch the Biscayne breeze that will, in turn, help power it.
The new, green-focused $275 million building is expected to be
completed in early 2015, at which point visitors will be treated to
sharks -- yes, sharks! -- swimming over them on the mezzanine in a
jaw-dropping 600,000-gallon aquarium.
(View renderings of the new space below.)
But that's not all. Designed by Grimshaw Architects of London/New
York, the 250,000-square-foot space will also feature a full-dome 3-D
planetarium, multiple wings of exhibits, cafes, learning centers, and
gardens, fountains and pools forming an oasis in the midst of urban
density in its new shared home with the Miami Art Museum on Museum Park.
The building is intended to run sustainably, not only collecting rain
water on the roof but using energy from the sun, wind, and even museum
visitors themselves. Officials say the size of the Frost should
accommodate double the 50,000 school children who currently visit each
year.
Construction plans for the new building went underway after county
residents voted in 2004 in support of using $165 million through its
Building Better Communities bond program, but staff are still
fundraising. In March 2011, Dr. Phillip Frost and his wife, Patricia,
donated $35 million to the museum, capturing naming rights, and in
January the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation donated a $10 million
challenge grant. The museum -- currently open in its old South Miami
home -- is still seeking another $30 million in private donations.
"The construction of this Museum will be remembered as the beginning
of a new era for Miami –- characterized by an emphasis on technology and
all that it adds to our quality of life," said Dr. Phillip and Patricia
Frost in a statement. "We are proud that it will be a major cornerstone
in the development of this new reputation."
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