Perot Museum of Nature and Science
Sustainable Water Feature
The Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas is one of 162 pilot projects designed according to the guidelines and performance benchmarks of the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) rehabilitating a polluted urban brownfield. By collecting and recycling air conditioning condensation and rainwater, the irrigation water needs and almost 75% of the non-potable water needs of the museum are met. Kusser Fountainworks built and assisted in the design of two active as well as two passive, gravity-fed water features: The upper flume utilizing a filtered chlorinated process, and the bottom flume which is designed as a natural eco-friendly system supporting fish and plant life through a bio-filter operating without chemicals. Both flumes are made of architectural concrete which is stamped with animal and fauna prints.
During rainfall two gravity- fed mechanisms dramatically stage the flow of rain water collected on the roof tops:
∙ a stainless steel rain pipes feature located on the prominent upper plaza, which the collected rain water spills from. This water is then filtered through a bed of river rock and flows into a storage cistern.
∙ a waterfall in the northern corner of the site. At night miniature, 1W LED submersible lights which are flush with the concrete surface create celestial lighting patterns in the bottom flume.
Project Details
- builder:
- Perot Museum of Nature and Science
- architect:
- Morphosis Architects
- location:
- Dallas, TX
- Year:
- 2013
- prime contractor:
- Balfour Beatty Construction
- landscape architect:
- Talley Associates
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