Smithsonian unveils $2 billion master plan for its south campus

The Smithsonian Institution on Thursday unveiled a $2 billion, 10- to 20-year master plan for its south campus, under which the agency's oldest assets will be overhauled to create what architect Bjarke Ingels called a "poetic and magical experience."

Led by the Bjarke Ingels Group (B.I.G. Architecture PC), the master plan calls for the total renovation of the Smithsonian Castle, the replacement of the roof under the Haupt Garden, interior renovations and underground additions to the Arts and Industries Building, new connections between the various underground spaces, installation of greener mechanical systems and the lowering of the walls surrounding the Hirshorn Museum.

The B.I.G. Group was tapped in March 2013 to rethink the Smithsonian's south campus, a project area bounded by Jefferson Drive to the north, Seventh Street SW to the east, Independence Avenue SW to the south and 12th Street to the west. The $2.4 million job was supposed to take eight to 12 months, but Ingels spent a lot of time educating himself on each of the buildings, the building systems, how they work together and the problems that must be solved.

Ingels is perhaps best known for his knock-your-socks-off designs, such as the Marine Lofts in Fort Lauderdale, the Kimball Art Center in Park City, Utah, the Vancouver House and the St. Petersburg Pier. The Smithsonian, however, may be the "most heavily regulated piece of real estate on earth," he said. Given those restrictions, Ingels went for a more understated design, to "get the most out of what's already here." It is an "almost surgical" integration to create a "very dramatic exciting new iteration of the campus."

That's not to say what's already there will remain. The above-ground pavilion entrances to the Sackler Gallery, the National Museum of African Art and the S. Dillon Ripley Center will be removed. The roof to the Quadrangle Building, 95 percent of which is below grade, will be replaced. The new roof, beneath an expanded Haupt Gardens, will include large skylights and 28-foot-tall curved edges, under which will be new entrances for Sackler and the African art museum.

There will be a new central loading dock to serve all of the buildings and gardens on the South Mall campus, located on Independence Avenue near 12th Street. The existing loading dock ramp located between the Freer and Sackler galleries will be removed, as will the parking lot on the east side of the Arts and Industries Building.

The Castle's Great Hall — which Ingels described as "no longer as great as it used to be" — will be restored, and the Castle will get a two-level underground expansion to include a cafe and retail store, restrooms and a reconfigured and expanded Ripley Center education space. The concrete perimeter walls surrounding the Hirshorn will be lowered to create a more welcoming entrance, while the Sculpture Garden will be reconfigured.

The master plan is a 10- to 20-year effort, and work is not anticipated to begin for seven years, minimum. It will be funded partially with federal allocations and partly with private donations, though Smithsonian officials could not say, yet, what the breakdown will be.

Source: Washington Business Journal