Project Description:
Key Strength: LEED GOLD
– Passive solar shading on facade;
– Maximized interior day lighting;
– Efficient low water plumbing fixtures;
– Reduced storm-water run-off with green roofs;
– Harvested rainwater for site irrigation and fixture flushing;
– Roof top solar panels for hot water heating;
– Enhanced commissioning
Budget: $540 Million
Total Area: 406,000 SF
Completion: September 2016
Construction Delivery Method: CM-At-Risk
Located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the museum chronicles and memorializes the African American experience in a new 376,00-sq.-ft building that itself becomes part of the story. The mission of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is “to tell the story of America through the lens of black history and culture.” The building is the result of years of planning and an international design competition sponsored by the Smithsonian Museum Council. In the end, a team of 32 consultants were managed by the Architect of Record, the Freelon Group.
This presentation comes from the perspective of the structural engineer who acted as the owner’s representative for all things structural. In addition to peer reviews of all structural work on the project, the owner’s rep was responsible for design of all miscellaneous metals. Unlike most projects, the miscellaneous metals are integral to the mission of the building, and include major aspects of the public experience, like the monumental stair, which is traversed by thousands of visitors from all over the world.