Architecture and design at PIN

One of the first things visitors to the PIN will notice is the intricate detail of the building itself. The gates to the grounds are made of wrought iron with repeating dinosaur motifs. The stairway that leads to the entrance of the exhibits has a huge mosaic (left) showing life through time that stretches three stories. Above and below are mirrors that reflect the mosaic in an infinite column.

Even the door hinges have paleontology motifs. The door to the Mammal Hall (right) has hinges in the shape of the Irish Elk, which is one of the many fossils on exhibit. The door behind it, which leads to the Invertebrate Hall, has hinges shaped like an arthropod. All of the walls have sculptures, murals, and other motifs of life from the past.

Below is a detail of the wall in the Permian Hall, which shows many examples of life from the Permian geological time period, included the sail-backed Dimetrodon (a synapsid, or early relative of the mammals), ammonites (early relatives of the chambered nautilus), and large fish.