The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is a brand-new, LEED Certified state-of-the-art facility located on two blocks in the historic West End District of Downtown Dallas. Originally founded in 1984 by a group of Dallas area Holocaust Survivors, the museum is dedicated to teaching the history of the Holocaust and advancing human rights to combat prejudice, hatred and indifference. Their now permanent location is comprised of over 55,000 square feet built with rich history, awareness and education and three permanent exhibitions. These include the Holocaust/Shoah Wing, the Human Rights Wing, and the Pivot to America Wing. The museum also encompasses traveling exhibition space, a performing arts auditorium, community lobby, reflection space, education spaces, library archives, administration offices, and a public plaza.
Designer, Dallas-based Omniplan wanted a clean, modern and progressive feel for the flooring surface that would maximize the space and be cohesive with the overall design. The Bomanite VitraFlor Polished Concrete System was selected for its industrial modernity, sustainable design and LEED qualities. Bomanite Licensee, Texas Bomanite provided the Bomanite decorative concrete flooring completing approximately 28,000 square feet on several levels. The VitraFlor system consists of initial grinding of the original concrete slab to standards letting the natural aggregate color to shine. Zero VOC products to chemically harden such as Bomanite Stabilizer Pro, and Bomanite VitraFinish to hone and polish for final protection and stain resist finish the application. Bomanite VitraFlor allows for flexibility in design with different exposure of aggregates. The main lobby and walkways used a Class D large aggregate exposure with a level 3-1500 Grit Polish with some areas using a Polyurea Joint Filler in the color Gauntlet Gray. The Exhibit Hall polished surface was given a slightly different treatment with a Class B salt and pepper aggregate exposure and a level 3-1500 Grit Polish.
Bomanite VitraFlor provided a cost effective and low-maintenance polished concrete floor that is ideal for high traffic conditions. With over 80,000 visitors in 2018 in their previous location, the newly built facility will be able to handle even more guests as well as equipment for moving or changing of exhibits. Contributing to additional LEED accrual points for Optimized Energy Performance, Bomanite VitraFlor can reduce maintenance costs by as much as 80% over conventional flooring system such as carpet or VCT. Dramatically improving light reflectivity which reduces the amount of lighting required and therefore energy consumed was an intentional design attribute with the entrance floor to ceiling windows lending to its long-term sustainable features.
The Museum is one of just a few Holocaust-related museums or centers in the United States and the only Holocaust museum serving North Central Texas, as well as the adjacent states of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. It has been recognized for its compelling and creative programming, internationally recognized exhibits, and world-class speakers. The new – modern, immersive and interactive technology captivates and educates visitors of all ages. To fully experience the designers plan visit https://www.omniplan.com/tangent/2020/03/behind-the-design-of-the-dallas-holocaust-and-human-rights-museum.html
Texas Bomanite earned the 2019 Best Bomanite Custom Polishing Project Honorable Mention Award for their precise application of the Bomanite VitraFlor System. Along with the floor installation, they also created the outdoor courtyard decorative sculpture base and walls showing their extreme craftsmanship in the Decorative Concrete Industry.