STATUS
IDEA
CLIENT
The Smithsonian Institution
TYPOLOGY
Culture
SIZE M2/FT2
107,767 / 1,160,000
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Since its founding in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution has grown to become the world’s
largest hub of 19 museums and galleries, research facilities, and educational institutions. This campus constellation is mostly clustered along the National Mall in Washington D.C.
Based on extensive feedback from the community, BIG’s vision for the Smithsonian Institution masterplan seeks to improve and expand existing facilities; create clear connections, access points and visibility between the museums and gardens; and to replace aging building mechanical systems that have reached the end of their lifespan, including structural reinforcements of the Castle to withstand potential seismic activity.
Located along Independence Avenue SW from 7th to 12th street, the roughly 17-acre site includes the Castle, the Arts and Industries Building, the Freer Gallery, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden – all individually listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places – and the mostly subterranean Quadrangle Building which is home to the National Museum of African Art, the Sackler Gallery of Art and the S. Dillon Ripley Center.
South Mall Campus
— Located between the National Mall and Independence Avenue, the 17-acre site includes the Castle, the Freer Gallery, the Arts and Industries Building, and the Hirshorn Museum - all listed or eligible for listing on the NRHP - and the mostly subterranean Quadrangle Building which is home to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the National Museum of African Art, and the S. Dillon Ripley Center.
Limited Museum Visibility from the Mall
— 70% of the Smithsonian's visitors arrive from the National Mall, and are currently unable to see or locate some of the most important collections within the Campus, including the Sackler Gallery and the National Museum of African Art.
Mall-Oriented Museum Pavilions
— BIG Proposes to reconfigure the entrance pavilions of the Sackler Gallery and the National useum of African Art, creating direct connections from the National Mall and welcoming entryways that lead visitors into these important collections.
Daylight & Visibility
— A perimeter skylight warps around the entrance pavilion facades of the underground Sackler Gallery and the National Museum of African Art, allowing natural daylight to enter while providing views from Independence Avenue and the Haupt Garden.
A Stronger Better Castle
— The Castle, which opened in 1855, is the focal point of the Smithsonian Institution and home to the Smithsonian Visitor Center. The building is in need of major historic restoration, while the Visitor Center is in need of an expansion and upgrade.
Improved Visitor Experience
— The arrival to the expanded Visitor Center and the new Education Center will happen through descending entry points that allow daylight into the underground spaces. The entry points are tied into the circulation for the Quadrangle's gallery and museum.
Campus Connectivity
— A series of upgrades improve the connectivity and accessibility of the Campus. At the Freer Gallery, an accessible entrance is added. The East and West Halls of the AIB are opened as an interior street connecting the Hirshhorn to the Haupt Garden. From the Hirshhorn, concrete perimeter walls provide an opening to connect the west side with the AIB. Finally, expanded garden areas connect the Campus with the developing Southwest Ecodistrict.
Sub-Grade Hirshhorn Sculpture Gallery
— The proposed Masterplan calls for expanding below the existing Sculpture Garden to accommodate two new double-height cotemporary art galleries and a new auditorium beneath the reconfigured Sculpture Garden.
Vision for South Campus Gardens
— Expanded garden spaces maintain the secluded and biodiverse nature of the Campus, while providing clear circulation and improved connections between the Smithsonian Campus, the National Mall, and the growing Southwest Ecodistrict community.
The Castle is the cradle of the Smithsonian,
and its eclectic architecture somehow
captures the diversity and breadth of the
Smithsonian today. With its location at the
center of the South Mall campus, the Castle is
not only the historical point of departure, but
also the physical center of the Smithsonian.
THE HISTORIC CASTLE
— the Castle is not only the historical point of departure, but also the physical center of the Smithsonian.
RESTORATION & PROGRAMMATIC EXPANSION
— Washington is in a seismic zone. A recent earthquake left the Castle with expensive damage, incl. damage to the towers and fragmented walls; a complete seismic upgrade is needed. This restoration potentially includes
relocating a majority of offices and the visitor center amenity programs currently in the castle.
BASE ISOLATION
— Base isolation involves excavating below the entire
existing structure and placing it on a single pad—like
a castle on a silver platter. The new pad rests on
point foundations consisting of rubber and lead
composites—strong enough to carry the weight
above, while soft enough to absorb the energy of an
earthquake.
EXCAVATION & PROGRAMMATIC EXPANSION
— As a result, the entire structure above ground will be completely unaffected while all the reinforcements
disappear underground. To take advantage of the
excavation, the building’s programs can now expand
into the new below-grade structure.
BIG proposes to rebuild the roof garden south
of the Castle as a green island surrounded by
a “moat” of skylights, flooding the interiors
with light and views of the sky above. By
lifting the northeast and northwest corners,
the entire landscape opens up toward the
Mall, revealing the underground museums to
the public.
Underneath, the museums are flooded in
daylight from the glass moat above, that also
provides visual clues as to where people are
in the campus. Direct views of the Castle, the
Freer, and the Arts and Industries Building
above, provide an intuitive orientation below
and above ground.
BIG intends to preserve the peaceful nature of the Haupt Garden and its diverse landscape, while also serving the wider needs of DC and the growing Southwest Ecodistrict community.
Bjarke Ingels Kai-Uwe Bergmann Thomas Christoffersen Martin Voelkle Alana Goldweit Alvaro Velosa Aran Coakley Jacob Karasik Julian Ocampo Salazar Otilia Pupezeanu Sean Franklin Emily Chen Ziad Shehab Stephen Kwok Jeremy Alain Siegel Aaron Hales Alexandre Hamlyn Andrew Hong Andriani Atmadja Annette Miller Ava Nourbaran Benjamin Dinapoli Benjamin Novacinski Cadence Merrie Bayley Choonghyo Lee Chris Falla Daisy Zhong Daniele Pronesti Daniel Kidd Doug Stechschulte Gabriel Hernandez Solano Janice Rim Jennifer Shen Jihoon Hyun Kalina Pilat Katarzyna Starczewska Kristoffer Negendahl Lina Bondarenko Mahsa Malek Manon Otto Ola El Hariri Ravina Puri Saecheol Oh Sara Ibrahim Abed Stephen Steckel Suemin Jeon Taylor Fulton Tianqi Zhang Tore Banke Vincent Fulia Wells Barber Yehezkiel Wiliardy Manik Zhifei Xu Tammy Teng Wesley Chiang
AWARDS
AIA National Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design, 2016
Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) Excellence Honor Award, 2015
AIANY Design Awards Project Merit, 2015
COLLABORATORS
Surfacedesign Inc.
Robert Silman Associates
GHT Limited
EHT Traceries
Stantec
Atelier Ten
VJ Associates
Wiles Mensch
PE Group
FDS Design Studio
Kleinfelder
