A museum taking shape in the heart of the National Geographic Society’s downtown Washington, DC headquarters campus promises to set new benchmarks in both sustainable construction and technology-rich immersive educational experiences to showcase natural and cultural wonders of the world
With a total of more than 100,000 square meters of renovation and new construction, the Exploration Museum will also feature unique curated exhibits, a state-of-the-art theater, restaurant, retail store and central plaza.
The museum, designed by architect Hickok Cole and under construction by DC-based HITT Contracting beginning in mid-2022, draws literally and figuratively on elements from the Nation Geographic Society’s 136-year history.
Ryan Sokoloski, the organization’s senior director of building operations, says the new facility extends to four existing buildings on campus, including Hubbard Hall, a Classic Revival style built in 1904, and other which were added to and expanded from 1931 to the early 1980s.
“We had to consider the different types of construction,” Sokoloski says, “from waffle slabs in one building to terra cotta slabs in another.”
The subsurface work included drilling micropiles 25 to 60 feet deep into the bedrock, which Sokoloski says varies in depth beneath the campus the size of a city block.
“In some areas, we poured foundation concrete directly onto the bedrock,” he adds.
After installing pile caps and underground structural steel, HITT continued with the new museum’s 15,000 square meter pavilion with a glass facade and roof terrace, which will serve as the main entrance and event space . The pavilion and the existing campus buildings, which will be renovated to the first floor, will surround a new 52,000 square meter public square.
Sokoloski credits the project team with helping incorporate National Geographic’s high sustainability standards into the museum, which is aiming for LEED Platinum when it opens in 2026. Millwork, originally designed to be oak, was changed to ash recovered from trees damaged by an invasive borer beetle. . The concrete knee walls that span the metal roofs use air voids for insulation, eliminating the need for polystyrene material.
Instead of using carbon-intensive lightweight concrete for the project’s floor decks, structural engineer Arup suggested using normal-weight concrete with a 3/8-inch layer of cementitious fireproofing material sprayed on the bottom. Sokoloski says the change reduced carbon emissions by 20%.
Some sustainability elements have not yet been finalized, such as the composition of the pavilion’s entrance signature: an 11-foot-tall yellow border reminiscent of the iconic covers of National Geographic magazine.
“We’re evaluating several mock-ups to determine the exact material, although it certainly won’t be plastic,” Sokoloski says. “We want to be true to our brand.”
The Exploration Museum is following a multi-year program to improve the interior spaces in several of the other buildings on the National Geographic campus. Also designed by Hickock Cole and built by Rockville, Md. Davis Construction, the program modernized work areas to facilitate greater collaboration while incorporating modern media technology and increasing access to natural light. Solar panels provide 25% of the buildings energy, while a greywater HVAC system further reduces the campus’ carbon footprint.
National Geographic has not publicly released any costs for either the museum or the existing building renovation program.
