Open spaces and turnkey venues were among the highlights of a hard-hat tour of the new $300 million Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami.
The four-acre site will have 250,000 square feet and five stories divided into four parts: the Exploration Center, planetarium, Living Core and Innovation Center.
The Exploration Center will include a Knight Learning Center with two classrooms, a wet lab and a computer lab. Outdoor spaces with covered balconies will overlook the 500,000-gallon Living Core Aquarium, marketing manager Joseph Quiñones told The Real Deal on the tour. The center’s main level is a flexible 10,000 square foot space with double height for exhibits, events and conferences.
The fifth floor of the Innovation Center will also include boardrooms and outdoor event space.
Quiñones wouldn’t disclose the food vendor, but said they were in final negotiations, and that it would include healthy and classic family friendly options.
The museum will share parking with Perez Art Museum Miami next door, all on the 28-acre Museum Park site. Quiñones said the other half of the garage is set to open at the same time as the museum, and that public parking will also be available.
Funding for the $300 million project has come from bonds, donations and grants.
Construction broke ground in February 2012 and will be completed later this year. Skanska USA signed a $101 million construction contract in December, replacing Suffolk Construction.
The existing museum at 3280 South Miami Avenue is set to close in late August, Quiñones said. The museum will enter a dark period from the fall to its opening at 1075 Biscayne Boulevard in the summer of 2016.