The Beck Group Advances Perot Museum Expansion With 2027 Construction Start

Highlights

• The Perot Museum of Nature and Science plans a four-acre campus redevelopment in downtown Dallas.
• The expansion will add 60,000 square feet of outdoor museum space and approximately 25 large-scale exhibits.
• Balfour Beatty is serving as general contractor, with The Beck Group as architect of record and Morphosis as design architect.
• Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2027, with the transformed campus expected to open in late 2028.
• The museum anticipates approximately 400,000 additional visitors annually after the expansion.

Outdoor Exhibits Anchor Campus Redevelopment

A planned expansion of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science will increase exhibition capacity and reshape visitor access at the downtown Dallas campus, creating additional space for educational programming and public engagement.

The four-acre redevelopment includes 60,000 square feet of outdoor museum space designed around interactive exhibits and landscaped learning environments. Planned attractions include a geyser, a water vortex, a fire tornado, a lightning-and-thunder pavilion and wind-based demonstrations.

The outdoor area will also incorporate a forest and treetop walkway, a paleontology garden, a pollinator garden and a shaded river landscape. Approximately 40 learning touchpoints will complement the larger exhibits.

Building Design and Site Improvements

The Beck Group is serving as architect of record, coordinating architectural documentation and technical requirements with design architect Morphosis and the broader project team. Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates is the landscape architect, while NorthernLight and Bruns are responsible for outdoor exhibit design. Balfour Beatty is the general contractor, and Hillwood Urban is managing development.

The broader campus plan includes a redesigned entrance and lobby, upgraded education and event areas, expanded dining facilities, a school-group arrival pavilion and a new parking garage.

Replacing existing surface parking with green space is another component of the redevelopment. The changes are intended to improve circulation, accommodate school visits and strengthen connections between the museum and the surrounding downtown district.

Project Funding and Construction Schedule

The museum's Curiosity Unbound campaign is supporting the redevelopment alongside its broader goals for educational programming and community engagement. The campaign has raised $135 million toward a $185 million target.

Construction is planned to begin in early 2027, with the expanded campus scheduled to open in late 2028. The museum projects that the improvements could support approximately 400,000 additional visitors annually.

Implications for Cultural and Public-Facing Projects

The redevelopment combines new exhibition areas, landscape construction, visitor facilities and parking infrastructure within an established urban campus. For project owners and contractors, coordinating these elements will be central to delivering an integrated public-facing facility.

The project also illustrates how cultural institutions are investing in outdoor learning environments and site improvements alongside traditional indoor exhibition space.

Source: The Beck Group.