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Perot Museum of Nature and Science
Dallas, TX
During the schematic design of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, the design team from Morphosis, led by Thom Mayne, challenged Gate Precast to think outside the box and explore innovative and unconventional methods of prefabricating precast concrete. In order to bring familiarity of precast co… Read More
The concept of the exterior was built around the idea of a sedimentary geological formation. These ideas of movement on the exterior are tied to the Texas landscape.
The design team knew exactly what they wanted in terms of the projections in the precast exterior. Gate Precast was willing to step outside of the box and try something new to take this project from conception to reality.
The cube provided the bulk of the square footage for the project and provided maximum casting efficiency, largely due to the ground-breaking module process. The atrium and plinth areas were more complex from a BIM and fabrication standpoint, largely due to the inconsistent angles and multiple radius… Read More
The plinth, cube and atrium were to be shaped in a fashion that would eventually place the focus of color and texture below form. This was a disruption in the normal processes developed over the nearly 50-year fabrication history that preceded this project.
Due to the horizontal nature and free-flowing aspects of the design, a new approach to connections for the panels to structure was required in all areas. The floors had as much as a 35’ distance separating the levels increasing the need for a solution.
The Perot Museum turned out to be one of the precast industry’s most pivotal projects. It is one of the first official design-assist projects of 2008 that ultimately led to the development of a module system for use in forming for the production of precast concrete.
