Smithsonian Exhibits Six Architectural Models in Design Competition for New Museum

Written by rubin Tuesday, 07 April 2009 12:38

WASHINGTON, DC - Six visions of the Smithsonian’s new National Museum of African American History and Culture are on display from 2 p.m. Friday, March 27, through Thursday, April 16, in the Smithsonian Institution Building (the Castle). The exhibition is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and it features design concepts, photographs and architectural models submitted by the six firms invited to participate in a two-month design competition.

In the weeks following the exhibit, a competition board, or jury, chaired by Museum Director Lonnie Bunch III, will select the firm that will present a formal proposal for the design of the museum. The name of the architectural team is scheduled to be announced in mid-April.

The museum will be located on a five-acre plot of land adjacent to the Washington Monument on Constitution Avenue. Construction is expected to begin in 2012, and the museum will open to the public in 2015. Total cost for the project, including design and construction, is estimated at about $500 million, of which one-half will be provided by Congress.

“This design competition captured the attention of some of the most respected professionals in the field,” said Bunch. “Seeing the early results of their work has been inspiring and being able to share it now with the public is a genuine honor. This is an exciting moment in the development of this museum.”

The six firms represented in the exhibit were among 22 that responded to a Request for Qualifications issued last summer. An evaluation panel of experts from the Smithsonian, including engineers, architects and museum professionals conducted a technical review of all submissions to be certain that they met the qualifications of the RFQ—having key personnel in a variety of areas such as architecture, structural engineering, landscape architecture and life safety engineering; being able to accomplish the design of the building within the three-year time frame; establishing an office within 30 miles of the museum site; and demonstrating an appreciation of African American history and culture.

In addition, the Smithsonian is requiring an energy-efficient structure that may become the Smithsonian’s first museum to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, making it the first officially green building on the National Mall.

All six firms have won national and international awards; three are winners of the American Institute of Architect’s Gold Medal—the AIA’s highest honor for design—and two have been awarded Pritzker Prizes. All teams have a minority principal and four firms are members of the National Organization of Minority Architects.

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