Perkins&Will has been selected as one of the five finalists in the nationwide artistic ideas competition for the design of the new National Museum of the U.S. Navy. The other finalists are DLR Group, Frank Gehry Partners, Quinn Evans, and BIG. Organised by the Naval Heritage History and Command’s (NHHC), the competition’s aim is to create a modern museum for Naval veterans and the public, a new building and ceremonial courtyard to reflect the Navy’s values and legacy. The campus would consist of approximately 270,000 square feet, with 100,000 square feet of gallery space. The Navy’s preferred location for the museum is on a site adjacent to the Washington Navy Yard.
Through research and interviews with active and veteran U.S. Navy sailors, Perkins&Will drew inspiration from the Navy’s core values: strength, commitment, integrity, courage, honor, and initiative. The designers understood this competition as an opportunity to reflect on the Navy’s culture and achievement as the basis for presenting this powerful story to the larger public. The artistic vision was led by architect Ralph Johnson, the designer of the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City.
The museum is designed as a “living memorial,” aiming to create a bridge between the U.S. Navy’s past and future. The sail-like shape of the building is created to conjure the image of a fleet of vessels, while a ceremonial courtyard is designed to give visitors a sense of honor. At the main entrance, visitors cross a gangway over water, as if entering a vessel, an image carried through the museum’s atrium that recalls the engeneering og the hull of a ship. The Subsurface, Surface, Expedition, Aviation, and Space (SSEAS) gallery is set to become the signature attraction, featuring an interactive digital globe and various immersive installations to take visitors on a “technological odyssey.”
Macro artefacts and large-scale historical relics complete the visitor experience. One example is the Constitution Fighting Top, an observation platform near the top of the mast of the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy. This will be assembled in the atrium space, allowing visitors to engage with it at different heights and angles. The museum floor will also show a life-size outline of the USS Constitution's deck to help visitors imagine what it might have been like to be on an ocean voyage. Other artefacts include a helicopter, a Swift boat moving through marsh and a Naval aeroplane in flight.
Our concept places visitors at the intersection of the three elemental forces—land, sea, and air—that shape the U.S. Navy. It’s a tangible expression of the Navy’s honor, courage, and commitment. - Ralph Johnson, Perkins&Will’s global design director
The five selected projects were unveiled at a public event at the DC Navy Yard. The final canvases prepared for the competition will remain on display for public viewing at the Navy's National Museum on the Washington Navy Yard. In total, 80 firms expressed interest in participating in the competition, out of which 37 firms met the required qualifications before the jury selected the five finalists. Among them, BIG has also presented their vision of reflecting the historical context of the Navy Yards through the use of scale, materials and details inspired by Navy vessels
