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Dan Lagiovane,
Media Relations Manager |
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For Immediate Release February 26, 2004 Carnegie
Museum of Natural History names architects for its Dinosaurs in Their Time Project Pittsburgh ... Carnegie Museum of Natural History has selected E. Verner Johnson and Associates of Boston and the Pittsburgh office of Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann Associates as the architects for its Dinosaurs in Their Time expansion project. The two firms were selected from a group of seven firms that competed for the project and the final selection was approved by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History Board at a regularly scheduled meeting held yesterday afternoon. "I am very excited to announce the selection of these two outstanding architectural firms," said Bill DeWalt, then-Director, Carnegie Museum of Natural History. "E. Verner Johnson has an incredible breadth of experience working on museum projects including several for Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. We are also very pleased they have teamed up with Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann. It was very important to us to have a local company involved in this project." The Dinosaurs in Their Time project is a $35 million expansion and renovation to create additional space for state of the art exhibitions. The museum plans to use its world-class collections to create dynamic new exhibitions, which, for the first time, will integrate dinosaurs into the environments of their respective time periods. Carnegie Museum of Natural History's Dinosaur Hall currently features 15 dinosaur skeletons in a space originally built for one. Several of those dinosaurs are among the world's most famous and most complete specimens-among them, Diplodocus carnegii, or "Dippy," named after Andrew Carnegie, and Tyrannosaurus rex, or "T. rex," which was the first of its species ever found. The expanded dinosaur exhibition, which will occupy nearly three times the space as the current Dinosaur Hall, will depict dinosaurs surrounded by reconstructions of their environments. The expansion will include the creation of a dramatic atrium, which will become the central focus of Carnegie Museum of Natural History and reinforce the basic themes of the museum. Dinosaurs currently on display in Dinosaur Hall will be remounted in scientifically accurate, active poses and a number of previously never-before-exhibited specimens will also be added to the hall. The museum is engaged in a major fund raising campaign for the Dinosaurs in Their Time project. It received a $15 million allocation from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and has also received large gifts from Eden Hall Foundation and the Heinz Endowments. "We have about three quarters of the money committed at this time but there are still ample opportunities for other funders to participate in this exciting project," DeWalt said. "The enthusiasm and support to make Dinosaurs in Their Time the first day tourist attraction for the region has been tremendous. We are hopeful that this latest announcement will stimulate even greater interest in the museum's plans." E. Verner Johnson and Associates will serve as the lead architect on the project. Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann Associates will provide design assistance and lend its expertise in the areas of energy conservation and sustainable design. They will also partner with H.F. Lenz Company, a Johnstown-based engineering firm. More subcontractors will be added as the project progresses. "Carnegie Museum of Natural History is a unique and prominent institution," said Louis Sirianni, a partner with E. Verner Johnson and Associates and former Pittsburgher. "It is a privilege to help them achieve their goal to transform the central focus of the museum and reinforce its place among the world's best natural history museums." Previously, E. Verner Johnson and Associates worked with Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh to develop a master plan and space needs assessment for the two Oakland museums. The atrium concept for the new Dinosaur Hall came out of this work. They also were the architectural firm, partnering with H.F. Lenz Company, for the creation of Carnegie Museum of Natural History's Special exhibitions Gallery that opened in 2003. Carnegie Museum of Natural History, one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, welcomes 350,000 visitors a year and reaches another 150,000 through educational outreach programs. It is the third largest repository of dinosaur fossils in the world, and its total collections exceed 21 million objects, specimens, and artifacts. It was recently named fourth best natural history museum in the United States by US Airways in-flight magazine, Attache, and its dinosaur hall is often ranked among the world's best. Since 1965, E. Verner Johnson and Associates has helped museums design innovative and successful new facilities. They have planned and designed more museums than any other architectural firm, working on over 140 museum projects throughout the world. Their projects have included every type of museum and have ranged in size from 7,500 to 750,000 square feet in area. Some of their more prominent museums include the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, the Cincinnati Museum Center, and the Texas State History Museum in Austin. The firm's international work includes projects in Europe, Hong Kong, New Zealand, South America, and the Caribbean. Their most significant clients include the Museum of Science in Boston, for whom they have provided planning and design services for over 25 years; the Smithsonian Institution; the Louvre Museum in Paris; and the Urban Council of Hong Kong. Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann Associates is a U.S.-based practice with a 68-year history of award-winning innovation and design. A talented in-house team of professionals in architecture, engineering, interior design, landscape architecture, and facilities management supports Burt Hill's integrated design approach. Guided by a strong vision, progressive management, and a commitment to technology, the practice is growing steadily. With over 320 employees in western Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Washington D.C., and Boston, Burt Hill is able to draw upon the expertise and resources of the entire firm to create a multi-disciplinary team to meet the needs of each client and project. # # #
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