Gallivanti

Phillip and Patricia Frost Science Museum, Miami

A view from below the 500,000 gallon cone-shaped gulf stream aquarium inside of the Frost Science Museum. Built in 2017 by Grimshaw Architects.

The varied shapes of the buildings themselves create contrast and a sense of diverse worlds and ideas, yet are tied together through proximity and color. The North and West Wings form the open arms of the site. While their programing ranges from evolution to ecology to space travel, Grimshaw gave the wings a unifying in-and-out pixel geometry texture that plays with daylight throughout the diurnal cycle, allowing the arc of the sun to animate the façade. This texture also connotes patterns within science, be they plant cells or code for computers or DNA. Cupped within the wings is the Aquarium, which has an organic drip shape when seen from above. While the notion of a boat was not a driving idea in the design phase of the Aquarium, lateral views of the building offer graceful lines similar to the bow of a seafaring vessel. Sitting opposite the Aquarium’s oblong drip, the Frost Planetarium takes the form of an iconic sphere, evoking outer space and planetary exploration while standing out as an intriguing landmark across the street from squared-off urban condos. A soft white tonality unifies the campus, while dashes of various shades of blue signify meaning in different buildings: turquoise of the sea for the Aquarium, the dark blue of outer space for the Frost Planetarium and light blue of ocean breezes for the wings.

The Aquarium, where many guests will start their science journey, is the heart of the site. To heighten the sense of scientific exploration and immersion, Grimshaw created a vertical experience where guests first encounter stunning aquatic ecosystems at the open-air surface level, then descend below the waterline into a more intimate and immersive interior space.