After years of public comment and close collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has revealed its revised proposal for the Smithsonian Campus master plan in Washington, D.C.
The roughly 17-acre site includes the Castle, the Arts and Industries Building, the Freer Gallery, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden 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.
Rendering courtesy of BIG and Brick Visual.
The revised plan reflects the team’s commitment to preserving the character of the Haupt Garden while addressing existing and future needs of the cultural institution. “Since our last proposal, we’ve been listening very closely to the public. We wanted the general feeling and fondness for the Haupt Garden to remain the same while also increasing its enjoyment and use, offering educational elements and after hour programs,” said Bjarke Ingels in a speech given to members of the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), local decision makers, and residents and garden enthusiasts.
Rendering courtesy of BIG and Brick Visual.
The new proposal also makes the National Museum of African Art and the Sackler Gallery more accessible. These areas were hidden beneath the garden and have been “under-enjoyed compared to the value they represent,” according to Ingels.
The new master plan will attempt to improve existing facilities by creating an expanded Visitor Center and a new Education Space, creating clear connections, access points, and visibility between the museums and gardens by reconfiguring the entrance pavilions to the African Art Museum and Sackler Gallery, and replacing aging building mechanical systems, including structural reinforcements of the Castle to withstand potential seismic activity.
Rendering courtesy of BIG and Brick Visual.
The first stage of the plan, the renovation of the Castle, is expected to begin in 2021.
Rendering courtesy of BIG and Brick Visual.
Related Stories
Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015
9/11 museum triumphs over controversy
The Building Team for this highly visible project had much more than design, engineering, and construction problems to deal with.
Cultural Facilities | Apr 7, 2015
Mies’ Martin Luther King Jr. Library to get makeover
The architects say the modernization aims to improve “Mies in a contemporary Miesian way.”
Cultural Facilities | Apr 6, 2015
Berkeley’s West Branch Library generates more energy than it uses
The 9,400-sf facility is California's first Net Zero Energy-certified building.
Cultural Facilities | Mar 31, 2015
Pratt Institute to offer first-ever degree in placemaking
As part of its new Urban Placemaking and Management degree, Pratt will offer courses on topics such as "the history and theory of public space" and the "economics of place."
Structural Materials | Mar 30, 2015
12 projects earn structural steel industry's top building award
Calatrava's soaring Innovation Science and Technology Building at Florida Polytechnic University is among the 12 projects honored by the American Institute of Steel Construction in the 2015 IDEAS² awards competition.
Cultural Facilities | Mar 30, 2015
Designs released for new entertainment center in Lubbock, Texas
Amenities of the facility include a performance venue that seats 2,220, a smaller one that seats 425, a 6,000-sf multipurpose room, and a bistro café.
Religious Facilities | Mar 23, 2015
Is nothing sacred? Seattle church to become a restaurant and ballroom
A Seattle-based real estate developer plans to convert a historic downtown building, which for more than a century has served as a church sanctuary, into a restaurant with ballroom space.
Cultural Facilities | Mar 17, 2015
The High Line’s co-designer wins contract for The Underline in Miami
James Corner Field Operations will design the master plan for this 10-mile restoration project.
Cultural Facilities | Mar 13, 2015
New Orleans observation tower to feature 320-foot double-helix gondola ride
Tricentennial Tower will take visitors on a 300-year journey through the city's history before landing them at the top for a 360-degree view of the Crescent City.
Retail Centers | Mar 10, 2015
Retrofit projects give dying malls new purpose
Approximately one-third of the country’s 1,200 enclosed malls are dead or dying. The good news is that a sizable portion of that building stock is being repurposed.
