was completed in 1985, and was expanded twice in the 21st century. The original structure and its first expansion has a total area of of space. The original structure, with its first expansion holds approximately worth of exhibit space. The building's second expansion annex comprise approximately of space, bringing the approximate total area of the museum building to . The original building was designed by the Calgary-based BCW Architects, with Doug Craig as the lead architect. Although the design was largely left to Craig, he was given a list of 27 architectural requirements from the museum's director. Several of these requirements included the necessity to harmonize the building with the surrounding badlands, make the entrance easy to locate by routing the driveway to pass the front of the building, and providing adequate space for visitors' eyes to adjust from the light outside and inside the building. The main structure includes several galleries with interactive displays, a cafeteria, gift shop, and a theatre. The museum's main lobby features a mural made of ten ceramic panels; titled The Story of Life, the mural was crafted by Lorraine Malach. The museum contracted BCW Architects again to help design the ATCO Tyrrell Learning Centre, a to the main museum. The ATCO Tyrrell Learning Centre was completed in 2003 and included several classrooms with distance learning technology to allows researchers to remotely connect with field sites, and a laboratory. The ATCO Tyrrell Learning Centre was designed to accommodate students from elementary to post-secondary levels of education. In 2019, the museum completed construction of a learning lounge, adding approximately to the main building. The learning lounge expansion was designed by Kasian Architecture, along with the museum, and the government of Alberta. LEAR Construction, a Calgary-based construction firm, was contracted to build the learning lounge expansion. The expansion saw the Distance Learning Studio and accessible washrooms enlarged, as well as the creation of additional classrooms, laboratory spaces, an interactive learning lounge and rest area, and other multipurpose rooms. Exhibits As of 2020, the museum building houses thirteen exhibits that display approximately 800 fossils on permanent display. Audio-visual, interactive computers, and video programs and displays typically provide relevant information on the items in the exhibit. Several artistic works by Vladimir Krb are also exhibited in the museum's exhibits. A number of these exhibits are organized by geologic eras, displaying specimens and dioramas from those periods. These exhibits includes