Science Museum Fuels Economic Engine

MIAMI—It doesn't quite look like a museum yet, but after a year of building there is clear progress at what will soon become the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science. More than 75% of the plaza deck is poured. Supports for the first level of the Gulfstream aquarium are installed. The lower half of the planetarium structure is complete. And excitement is building.

The museum's debut in 2015 will mark the capstone of Downtown Miami's new Museum Park complex, serving as a cultural destination and economic engine in the city's urban core. So far, about 13,000 cubic yards of concrete have been poured. That's enough to fill the area of a football field almost 10 feet high.  

The museum has secured more than $70 million in pledges of its $100 million private fundraising goal, which will complement Miami-Dade County's $165 million funding. Miami Science Museum CEO Gillian Thomas says, “Once completed and open to the public, our new building will have an even greater community impact, serving as a center for learning and innovation, a model for sustainability, an economic engine, a gathering place for Miami residents and visitors, and an architectural icon for our city.”

Progress on site will continue at a rapid pace over the next six months, with the plaza, planetarium and Gulfstream aquarium all expected to be completed by end of the year. Once complete, the planetarium will be over 60 feet in diameter and the height of a five-story building.

Made entirely out of acrylic, the aquarium lens will be the largest of its kind in the world. According to Frank Steslow, COO of the Miami Science Museum, the shape, thickness and configuration of the tank will all work together to create the illusion of no walls—as though one was looking straight up into the Gulfstream.

“The Gulfstream aquarium will provide visitors with one of the biggest wow factors,” says Steslow. “No other aquarium in the world offers this sense of complete immersion and escape. Looking through the 30-foot oculus, visitors will have the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the ocean from its depths to its surface.”

The 250,000 square-foot complex promises to be among the world's most innovative and sustainable science museums. The building will harvest water and harness energy from sun, wind and even museum visitors to power exhibits and conserve resources.

The museum will be structured around a landscaped indoor and outdoor “living core” of terrestrial and aquatic environments, featuring an aquarium experience totaling more than 500,000 gallons, a full dome planetarium, interactive exhibits, innovative technology and two additional wings of exhibition space, the Knight Learning Center, Innovation Center, and cafes.

In addition to being an international center for learning and innovation, the new museum will also be an economic catalyst for Miami-Dade County. The 35-month construction period is employing upwards of 400 workers, with an average of 175 to 200 crew members on site at any given time.

Following construction, the ongoing annual economic impact to the County is estimated at $95.4 million with a total of 914 jobs created. The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science is also expected to draw more than 700,000 visitors to Miami during its first year of opening, and an additional 600,000 visitors on an ongoing annual basis thereafter, showcasing downtown Miami as an urban waterfront destination to new audiences.