U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum breaks ground on Collections and Conservation Center

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s new David and Fela Shapell Family Collections and Conservation Center has broken ground at an undisclosed location. The 100,000-sf building is designed by SmithGroupJJR.

The new Shapell Center will provide the archival-quality environments to support the preservation of artifacts documenting the Holocaust, ensuring that the evidence of the genocide will not be lost to future generations. With planned expansion space, the Shapell Center will provide a home for the growing collection.

The facility is designed to balance collections and non-collections. The building is organized in two halves: a “clean” side accommodates collections-related activities that includes a reading room; artifact storage; conservations labs for the treatment objects, textiles, paper and photographs; and a collections processing suite with a photo studio for digitizing the collection. A “dirty” side provides standard conditioning for non-collections storage; isolated wood, metal and paint shops for exhibit design and production; and staff office space.

Construction of the Shapell Center is expected to be completed in early 2017. SmithGroupJJR’s design services include architecture, MEP engineering, lighting design, landscape architecture and interior design. SmithGroupJJR leads the broader design team which includes Weidlinger Associates, Inc., The Sextant Group, Inc. and Rummel Klepper & Kahl. DPR Construction is serving as the construction manager.