flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Enter the world of deep time: David H. Koch Hall of Fossils

Reconstruction Awards

Enter the world of deep time: David H. Koch Hall of Fossils

The new enclosed FossiLab gives visitors a glimpse into the exacting work of Smithsonian scientists and preservationists.


By Robert Cassidy, Executive Editor | December 10, 2019
Smithsonian Koch Hall

Photo: Smithsonian Institution

The nearly four-year restoration of the David H. Koch Hall of Fossils and installation of the new Deep Time exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History—from building design and construction, to specimen conservation and installation, to exhibit design and fabrication, and finally to commissioning—took place even as the 1910 Beaux Arts gallery remained open to eight million annual visitors.

The project team, led by design firm EwingCole, uncovered and restored the magnificent skylight above the hall. The designers used a glazing system based on aerogel nanotechnology to act as insulator and filter against UV light and heat, bringing daylight into the gallery for the first time in two decades and protecting the 65-million-year-old specimens below.

The hall’s ornate plasterwork, which had been lost for generations, was recreated by skilled craft workers using ancient methods. Templates for the new moldings were cast from original building fabric in a sibling gallery, Sant Ocean Hall.

The new enclosed FossiLab gives visitors a glimpse into the exacting work of Smithsonian scientists and preservationists, while mitigating high levels of noise and dust pollution from adjacent galleries.

 

HONORABLE MENTION

BUILDING TEAM EwingCole (submitting firm, architect, SE, MEP) Smithsonian Institution—Smithsonian Facilities/Office of Planning, Design and Construction (owner) Reich + Petch (exhibit designer) Grunley Construction (GC) DETAILS 32,000 sf Total cost $125 million Construction time August 2015 to June 2019 Delivery method Design-bid-build

Related Stories

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 26, 2018

Yarn works: Neverending yarn

111-year-old mill becomes a mixed-income multifamily community.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 20, 2018

Wiseburn High School: New kind of P3

A California school district and a charter school system join forces to open a skills-based high school.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 19, 2018

Kehoe Iron Works: Industrial strength makeover

A project team turns a toxic site into a civic treasure.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 19, 2018

Weiser Hall, University of Michigan: Campus upgrade

A Mid-century building becomes home to a new International Institute.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 16, 2018

Mass MoCA Building 6: The Robert W. Wilson Building

A textile mill becomes an arts center that energizes a New England town and its region.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 15, 2018

Charles L. Tutt Library, Colorado College: Net-zero in the Rockies

Library expansion reinforces Colorado College’s commitment to carbon neutrality.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 14, 2018

National Arts Centre: O, Canada

Three new wings and a flashy AV display add luster to the nation’s cultural gem.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 13, 2018

20 Times Square: Conquering Times Square

The 20 Times Square mixed-used project at the corner of 47th and Seventh Avenue is indicative of the great lengths Building Teams will go in order to maximize real estate and media opportunities in Times Square.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 12, 2018

Crosstown Concourse: An 'organic' urban village

Memphians band together to rebuild a gigantic Sears distribution facility into a multifaceted community crossroads.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 12, 2018

Cincinnati Music Hall: Saving a cultural anchor

Cincinnati uses ‘skillful triage’ to bring its endangered Music Hall up to date.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Giants 400

BD+C Awards Programs

Entry information and past winners for Building Design+Construction's two major awards programs: 40 Under 40 and Giants 400



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021