An International Team is Recommended by the Selection Panel and Couples Grimshaw with Rodriguez and Quiroga
MIAMI, Fla. – May 9, 2007 –The Miami Science Museum has adjourned final presentations in the search for the architectural firms that will design its new state-of-the-art science building. A selection panel of eight members – including Chairman Walter Revell, Museum board Co-Chair Trish Bell, Museum President-CEO Gillian Thomas, and select local delegates – ranked each firm based on their presentation. Five architectural firms vied for the position of design architect, the team in charge of overall vision and primary design services. Three firms competed to become the executive architect, which will provide local expertise and preparation of construction documents for permitting and building.
“We have seen some really spectacular presentations from some of the most innovative and seasoned architectural firms in the world—they each demonstrated great knowledge and understanding for our project,” said Revell. “We are confident that the top firms selected will make our iconic vision for the Museum and our commitment to ‘green’ a reality.”
“We are absolutely thrilled to be the selected architect for the new Miami Science Museum. The Museum’s mission statement captured our imaginations, and we look forward to working with the Museum to realize their vision. Alongside Herzog & de Meuron’s new art museum in Museum Park, this will be a truly transformative project for an incredibly vibrant city,” said Vincent Chang of Grimshaw.
The Museum’s Construction Committee, also headed by Mr. Revell, will now begin contract negotiations with the top-ranked firms in each category. The final architectural team will be announced within the next several weeks.
The $275 million new Miami Science Museum building will have almost four times its current capacity with the addition of two or more floors, more than doubling exhibition space and adding an aquarium, as well as 25,000 square feet for the Historical Museum of Southern Florida. Other facilities include an outside science playground, a studio theater and an entertainment suite for public events. The Museum’s popular Wildlife Center will have a new home as part of the green roof, reflecting the South Florida hammock and integrating the Museum’s living collection of raptors and reptiles. The new Planetarium and rooftop Observatory will expand the Museum’s long term commitment to naked eye astronomy with the latest in interactive digital technology.
The Miami Science Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. For more information about the Museum, visit www.miamisci.org or call (305) 646-4200.
Grimshaw has grown steadily over the last decade, and now has permanent offices in Europe (London), Australia (Melbourne) and the United States (New York). Each office has succeeded based on the continuation of a common design language, rigor and culture established by the founder of the practice, Sir Nicholas Grimshaw – as well as a strong commitment to exploration and a belief in the transformative nature of architecture.
The firm is dedicated to the deepest level of involvement in the design of their buildings. Put simply, its employees choose to be a part of the places in which they live and work. In part, this commitment stems from a desire to gain familiarity with local manufacturing and building processes and to develop relationships with the best consultants, in order to deliver buildings that meet the highest possible standard; and in part, it is based on a desire to be truly engaged in the evolution of a place – to contribute to its development on a meaningful and logical level. It is the firm’s aim to be wholeheartedly engaged in its environment, and from this awareness generate truly functional, inspiring and transformative design.