Draper Museum of Natural History at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, WY (completed 2001)
Exhibit Designer: DMCD Incorporated; Architect: Fentress Bradburn Architects

Draper Museum of Natural History

at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center

Spiralling from the moonlit high alpine tundra through forest and meadow down to the scorching noon sun on the high plains, this natural history museum introduces the varied ecosystems of the Yellowstone region. Architecture, exhibit elements, flora, fauna, artifacts, and graphic materials are combined in an immersive experience that offered many challenges for the design team. Hefferan Partnership combined color washes, pattern projections, precise accent light, internal display case lighting, fiber optic systems, and subtly shifting skydome hues to support the exhibit narrative.

From theatrical effects to precision display case lighting, from daylight modeling to sophisticated control systems, this complex project brought together the full range of expertise and services that Hefferan Partnership can offer a museum client.