The National Museum of the United States Army (NMUSA), a cultural institution that is the first to tell the story of the oldest branch of the United States military, recently completed and opened on Veterans Day.
Located 20 miles outside of Washington, D.C., the facility is designed to serve as a center of education, and the symbolic front door of the Army. The museum focuses on the individual soldier, not battles or wars, to tell a centuries-long narrative of honor, sacrifice, and valor.
The LEED Silver-certified museum spans 84 acres across the Fort Belvoir Military Installation in Virginia and comprises a series of pavilions for exhibits and special events. The building leverages the site’s natural topography and rests atop a plateau to evoke a sense of monumentality. SOM’s design and planning for the future of the site includes a quiet memorial garden, a parade field and grandstand, and an Army Trail with interpretive stations.
Symbolism is at the core of the museum’s design. The symbolic experience begins with the access road, which offers a glimpse of the stainless steel-clad museum through the tress and across a long meadow. The museum rises to 100 feet at its peak, and its facade is composed of a regular grid of laser-cut stainless steel panels that establish a sense of rigor and discipline that are central to the design. At the corner of each pavilion, recessed glass panels alternate with painted aluminum fins to add a sense of dynamism. The complex lies on a three-foot grid system with every joint and edge of the building falling on each subdivision with precision, meaning the aluminum fins are spaced 18 inches apart to fall exactly on the edges of the panels.
Inside, the symbolism continues with stainless steel pylons sharing individual soldier stories and leading visitors from the promenade, through the vestibule, and into the exhibition hall. The grand lobby, which can be used as an event space, includes the Department of the Army’s emblem inscribed on the terrazzo floor and a black granite wall that lists every campaign from the Army’s history. Above, a coffered ceiling with 22 rows of translucent, laminated glass panels match the colors of the campaign streamers from the Army’s past.
See Also: First rendering of the National Medal of Honor Museum unveiled
Retail, a cafe, the first of three landscaped terraces, and exhibition spaces including a 300-degree theater surround the lobby. A monumental staircase leads visitors to additional exhibition spaces on the second floor.
Glass and wood thresholds connect each pavilion to signify transitions between spaces and provide views outside. On the third floor a wood-clad Veterans’ Hall serves as an event space supplementing the lobby. The Veterans’ Hall connects to the Medal of Honor Garden. Here, a 10-foot-tall black granite wall is engraved with the names of every medal recipient.
Sustainable features include increased insulation, improved glazing, high-efficiency LED lighting, automatic daylighting controls and occupancy sensors, and a green roof.
Related Stories
| Feb 18, 2014
Robert A.M. Stern sent back to drawing board for Revolutionary War museum in Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Art Commission has suggested some significant changes to the design by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, namely the elimination of a cupola and the addition of eye-level windows on the ground floor.
| Feb 14, 2014
Giant interactive pinwheel adds fun to museum exterior
The proposed design for the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History features a 10-foot pinwheel that can be activated by passersby.
| Feb 14, 2014
Crowdsourced Placemaking: How people will help shape architecture
The rise of mobile devices and social media, coupled with the use of advanced survey tools and interactive mapping apps, has created a powerful conduit through which Building Teams can capture real-time data on the public. For the first time, the masses can have a real say in how the built environment around them is formed—that is, if Building Teams are willing to listen.
| Feb 13, 2014
Extreme Conversion: Nazi bunker transformed into green power plant, war memorial
The bunker, which sat empty for over 60 years after WWII, now uses sustainable technology and will provide power to about 4,000 homes.
| Jan 30, 2014
How reverse engineering nature can spur design innovation
It’s not enough to copy nature. Today’s designers need a deeper understanding of environmental nuance, from the biome in.
| Jan 28, 2014
16 awe-inspiring interior designs from around the world [slideshow]
The International Interior Design Association released the winners of its 4th Annual Global Excellence Awards. Here's a recap of the winning projects.
| Jan 28, 2014
Big Ten Conference opens swanky HQ and museum [slideshow]
The new mixed-use headquarters includes a museum, broadcast studios, conference facilities, office spaces, and, oh yeah, a Brazilian steakhouse.
| Jan 13, 2014
Custom exterior fabricator A. Zahner unveils free façade design software for architects
The web-based tool uses the company's factory floor like "a massive rapid prototype machine,” allowing designers to manipulate designs on the fly based on cost and other factors, according to CEO/President Bill Zahner.
| Jan 11, 2014
Getting to net-zero energy with brick masonry construction [AIA course]
When targeting net-zero energy performance, AEC professionals are advised to tackle energy demand first. This AIA course covers brick masonry's role in reducing energy consumption in buildings.
| Dec 30, 2013
Calatrava facing legal action from his home town over crumbling cultural complex
Officials with the city of Valencia, Spain, are blaming Santiago Calatrava for the rapid deterioration of buildings within its City of Arts and Sciences complex.