Deane Madsen

Winter Winners: A Pair of Washington Museums in ArchitectureDC

The Winter 2017 issue of ArchitectureDC–the quarterly publication of the Washington, D.C., chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA|DC)–features winners of its 2017 Design Awards. It was my honor to write about two projects that earned Awards of Excellence from AIA|DC: The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) and the Smithsonian National Gallery East Building Renovation and Expansion. Both are projects that have been enormously influential in challenging the status of architecture in Washington.

Excerpts on each winning project are below, but be sure to pick up a copy of the ArchitectureDC Winter Issue at the District Architecture Center, which will host its 2017 Awards Show from Dec. 11-Jan. 26.

National Gallery of Art East Building Renovation and Expansion:

Restoring internationally acclaimed architecture–and expanding it from within–is no easy task, but that’s exactly the assignment Hartman-Cox Architects received from the National Gallery of Art for its 1978 East Building. Read the full story at ArchitectureDC. 

NMAAHC:

Occupying what may be the last buildable site on Washington’s Mall, the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) mediates the ground between museums and memorials by itself serving both purposes through a program that celebrates culture while recalling the painful history of slavery. Read the full story at ArchitectureDC.