The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum

The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear

THE DALLAS HOLOCAUST & HUMAN RIGHTS MUSEUM

Omniplan

ARCHITECTS
Omniplan

LEAD DESIGNERS
Mark Holsinger, Scott Hall

LANDSCAPE
Talley Associates Inc.

DESIGN TEAM
Martin Medina, Meredith Quigley, Scott Hall, Emily Teng Yan, Selina Cinecio

CIVIL ENGINEERING
Walter P. Moore & Associates

MEP ENGINEERING
Blum Consulting Engineers

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Datum Engineers

LIGHTING CONSULTANT
Schuler Shook

FIRE PROTECTION
Jensen Hughes

SECURITY CONSULTANT
Telios

PROJECT ARCHITECT
Steve Brookover

GRAPHICS CONSULTANT
Rsm

CLIENTS
The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum

EXHIBIT DESIGN
Eddie Jacobs, Barenbaum Group

MANUFACTURERS
Aurubis, Autodesk, Guardian Glass, Kawneer, Hussey Copper, Robert Mcneel & Associates, Tempo Architectural, Trimble, Viva Railings, Yankee Hill Brick & Tile

ENVELOPE
The Conley Group

PHOTOGRAPHS
Jason O’rear

AREA
52300 Ft²

YEAR
2019

LOCATION
Dallas, United States

CATEGORY
Museum

The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear

Text description provided by architect.

While no building can ever represent the inhumane injustices that occurred during the Holocaust, it can certainly be a vessel for the meaningful presentation of the repercussions, human experiences and realities thereof to ultimately influence impactful societal change.

The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear
The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear
The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear

The new Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum, dedicated to teaching the history of the Holocaust and advancing human rights, is in West End Historic District of downtown Dallas.

The overall building design amplifies the museum’s narrative by leading visitors through a physically changing path with a series of highly experiential spaces that allow the visitors to fully absorb the exhibits. 

The architecture is essentially reflective of this notion of a journey – expressive of movement from arrival to departure, designed to provide an intuitive path for all visitors so that the focus is on the experience that is removed from everyday distractions. 

The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear
The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear

The siting responds to a series of considerations – creating vibrant open urban space, allowing sunlight to reach the museum, and responding to view corridors from icons and landmarks nearby.

With its exterior clad in copper, which will acquire a natural patina over time, the DHHRM will become an architectural legacy distinct and impactful. The Museum was designed with the goal of being a LEED Certified.

The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear
The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear

This project is located in the West End Historic District, formerly an industrial site adjacent to a former rail line. The design of the building seeks to limit the amount of direct sun light on the large expanses of glass.

The wings of U-shaped parti shields the large curtain wall opening to the courtyard from the sun while the west wing overhangs the entry curtain wall limiting the effects of the western sun exposure.

The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear
The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear

The project takes advantage of its location to encourage the use of alternative transportation with the proximity to the DART light rail and bus lines, the utilization of bike racks, and the provisions for low-Emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles.

The project focuses on water efficiency with drought-resistant and regionally appropriate landscaping, as well as high-efficiency plumbing fixtures.

The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear
The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear

Additionally, the exterior and interior materials lean into the idea of material reuse and recycled content.

The prominent use of copper as both an interior and exterior material has a high recycled content. Copper has an infinitely recyclable life making it highly reusable for future generations.


The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear
The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear
The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear
The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear


The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear
The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
© Jason O’Rear


The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
First Floor Plan
The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
Second Floor Plan
The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
Third Floor Plan
The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
Museum Journey Diagram


The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
Copper Facade Diagram
The Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
Facade System Details