Cleveland Museum of Natural History in University Circle, Ohio is set for a US$125m transformation.

The project, which was previously halted during the 2008 expansion, will see the demolition of half of its existing facility on the west side of Wade Oval, and adding two glassy new exhibit wings and a crystalline lobby.

The renovations will be designed by architect Curt Fentress of Denver, whose previous work includes Denver's international airport and an expansion of the museum of natural history in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Cleveland museum has no precise timetable for the project, but will break ground when it has raised 70 per cent of the construction cost of its expansion.

Ongoing capital campaigns for the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Orchestra and other institutions are attempting to raise hundreds of millions of dollars.

Museum director Dr. Evalyn Gates said the project would boost science education in Cleveland by making the museum's collections and research activities far more visible and dynamic than they are today.

"When you look at the great cities around the world their cultural institutions are at the core in terms of bringing people there to live."