Shraman South Asian Museum + Learning Center

Dallas, Texas
Perkins+Will

The Shraman South Asian Museum and Learning Center Foundation will promote South Asia’s rich cultural heritage and encourage diversity. The Shraman Foundation envisions transforming a 5-acre parking lot in downtown Dallas to a 100,000 sf museum and public green.

The design concept draws upon the idea of Absence, a core tenant of Jain philosophy focused on the strength that comes from emptying oneself of the superficial trappings of life. The architecture defines a void, or ‘absence’ at the heart of the composition to reveal paths across the site and encourage the energy of market streets familiar to South Asian cities.