The Edelman Fossil Park and Museum of Rowan University is a one-of-a-kind active fossil dig site that offers visitors the opportunity for hands-on discovery. This museum site provides evidence of the profound events that led to the mass extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. It gives insight into our planet’s future, empowering visitors to make a positive impact.

The museum is in an active dinosaur fossil dig in southern New Jersey that provides a view into the Cretaceous Period. Once a shallow ocean environment, the site spent the last century as an open marl mine and is now a 4-acre quarry on a 65-acre property owned by Rowan University, where “citizen scientists” dig for fossils alongside leading paleontologists. The 44,000 square foot museum complements the quarry experience. It acts as a learning and research center, as well as an exhibit experience, with laboratory space and programs geared to both paleontologists and “citizen scientists.” The museum features three immersive galleries with fossils from the late Cretaceous period, full-scale reconstructions of extinct creatures, hands-on learning experiences, live animal attractions, virtual reality, connections to the natural world, and community gathering spaces. By opening a window to the deep past, the park imbues visitors with the thrill of scientific discovery, and a renewed appreciation for life in our world today.

Conceived as a set of small-scale pavilions integrated with the environment, the museum’s design encourages visitors to traverse from interior spaces to external landscapes, with an open porch and promontory that provides an overlook to the quarry and landscape. Wood-clad gallery pavilions function as lenses: looking out to the quarry, connecting the exhibit material to the site, and serving as portals into deep time. These architectural features represent the museum’s mission to educate and connect individuals with the natural world. The architecture further reflects the institution’s mission with high-achieving sustainable measures and a net-zero-ready operational carbon design. The museum encourages environmental stewardship through education while demonstrating that ideal with a high-performance, sustainable building. Decarbonization occurs through both active and passive measures. A heavy timber structure and wood cladding maximize the use of renewable materials and sequester carbon. The all-electric mechanical systems are fueled by geothermal wells located under the parking lot.

Driven by the core themes of preservation, exploration, and education, Edelman Fossil Park offers visitors a transformative experience that teaches the importance of planetary stewardship.

Category:Green ArchitectureYear:2025Location: Glassboro, New Jersey, USAArchitects:Ennead ArchitectsLandscape Architects:SEED Design/Yaki MiodovnikGeneral Contractor:DOBCO GroupDesign Team:KSS Architects, G&A, Ennead Design: Thomas Wong, Don Weinreich, Julia Chapman, Marissa Sweig, Ursula Trost, Stefan Knust, and Kailey BakerClient:Rowan UniversityPhotographers:Aislinn Weidele