The Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is embarking on the most ambitious revitalization project in its history. For building professionals, this project offers valuable lessons in cultural institution architecture, phased construction delivery, sustainability upgrades for aging structures, and collaboration between world-class design firms. The three-phase modernization initiative addresses everything from building envelope performance to expanded exhibition space and landscape redesign, making it a case study in comprehensive institutional renovation.
Project Scope and Phased Delivery Approach
The Hirshhorn Museum revitalization follows a structured three-phase delivery model that allows the institution to maintain operations throughout construction. This approach is increasingly common in large-scale cultural projects where continuous public access and programming are essential. The phased strategy enables the project team to address the most critical infrastructure needs first while planning more complex interventions in parallel.
Phase 1: Building Envelope and Structural Upgrades
The first phase, already underway at the time of the project announcement, focuses on replacing the museum roof and pre-cast panels. These interventions serve two primary purposes:
- Improved thermal performance of the building envelope, reducing energy consumption for climate control in gallery spaces
- New structural attachments that provide anchorage points for future facade and interior upgrades
This phase is expected to reach completion relatively quickly, establishing a more weathertight and thermally efficient enclosure before interior work begins. For building professionals, the in-kind replacement strategy is noteworthy: by matching the existing panel profile and attachment system, the project avoids costly structural modifications to the concrete frame while still achieving meaningful performance improvements.
Phase 2: Sculpture Garden and Public Realm Redesign
The second phase transforms the Hirshhorn’s Sculpture Garden, led by Japanese artist-architect Hiroshi Sugimoto. His design team includes New Material Research Laboratory Co. Ltd., Yun Architecture, Quinn Evans Architects as architect of record, and Rhodeside & Harwell Inc. as landscape architect. The Sculpture Garden redesign aims to increase visitation by 300 percent and create three distinct exhibition zones:
- Modern sculpture showcases for permanent and rotating installations
- Time-based and performance art spaces
- Large-scale commission areas for monumental works
A key architectural element of this phase is the reopening of the underground passage originally designed by Gordon Bunshaft, SOM’s partner and the museum’s original architect. This passage reconnects the National Mall through the Sculpture Garden with the Hirshhorn Museum and plaza, restoring the original design intent while improving pedestrian flow and accessibility.
Phase 3: Interior Modernization and Plaza Renewal
The third phase involves comprehensive interior renovations developed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and Selldorf Architects (SOM | Selldorf). This phase upgrades galleries and public spaces to accommodate larger audiences while addressing aging infrastructure systems.
Sustainability and Infrastructure Modernization
Sustainability is a core objective across all three phases. The project addresses multiple infrastructure systems that have reached the end of their service life while introducing contemporary environmental performance standards. For building professionals evaluating similar institutional renovations, the Hirshhorn project demonstrates how sustainability upgrades can be integrated into historic structures without compromising their architectural character.
Key Sustainability Targets
- Storm water management: Upgrading the site drainage systems to handle increased precipitation loads and reduce runoff into the National Mall watershed. This includes permeable paving strategies and potentially green infrastructure elements integrated into the Sculpture Garden redesign.
- Vertical transportation: Modernizing elevators and mechanical lift systems to reduce energy consumption while improving accessibility for visitors with mobility challenges. Modern elevator systems offer regenerative braking and standby modes that significantly reduce operational energy.
- Fine art storage: Upgrading the museum’s collection storage areas to meet current standards for temperature and humidity control, which also improves energy efficiency through better insulation and more precise HVAC zoning.
- HVAC and mechanical systems: Replacing aging equipment with high-efficiency alternatives that reduce the museum’s carbon footprint while maintaining the strict environmental conditions required for art preservation.
Building Envelope Performance Improvements
The roof replacement and pre-cast panel work in Phase 1 directly address the building envelope’s thermal performance. Museums present unique challenges for envelope design because they must maintain precise interior conditions regardless of exterior weather. The Hirshhorn’s original building, designed by Gordon Bunshaft and opened in 1974, features a distinctive circular form with concrete construction that presents specific thermal bridging challenges. The new roof assembly incorporates higher R-value insulation and improved air sealing details to reduce heat loss and gain.
For professionals working on similar projects, understanding the existing building’s thermal performance baseline is critical before specifying envelope upgrades. A comprehensive energy audit and thermal imaging survey should precede any envelope intervention in museum buildings to identify the most impactful improvement opportunities.
Design Team Collaboration and Procurement Strategy
The federal contract for the interior and plaza modernization was awarded through a competitive process by Smithsonian Facilities, in consultation with the Hirshhorn. The selection of SOM | Selldorf brings together two firms with complementary expertise: SOM’s deep experience in large-scale institutional projects and Selldorf’s specialization in museum design and architecture. This dual-firm model is becoming more common in complex cultural projects where no single firm possesses all the required competencies.
SOM and Selldorf: Complementary Expertise
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill brings a unique connection to the Hirshhorn: the firm’s partner Gordon Bunshaft designed the original museum building. This continuity of architectural vision provides invaluable institutional knowledge about the building’s structural systems, construction methods, and design intent. Selldorf Architects contributes extensive experience in museum interior design, having worked on major cultural institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the Frick Collection, and the National Gallery in London.
The joint statement from Chris Cooper, FAIA, partner at SOM, and Annabelle Selldorf, FAIA, principal at Selldorf Architects, emphasized the dual priorities: “Ensuring the building is better able to accommodate the museum’s ambitious programs, while serving a larger and more diverse audience, is of critical importance. And we need to be able to do so while making the building more sustainable.”
The Sugimoto Design Team Structure
For the Sculpture Garden, Hiroshi Sugimoto leads a distinct design team that operates somewhat independently from the interior modernization effort. This structure reflects the different nature of the work: the garden is primarily a landscape and public realm project, while the interior work requires deep building systems knowledge. The two teams coordinate through the overall project framework managed by Smithsonian Facilities.
Lessons for Building Professionals in Cultural Institution Renovation
The Hirshhorn revitalization offers several actionable takeaways for architects, engineers, and construction managers working on institutional projects. These lessons apply broadly to any renovation of an occupied cultural building where phasing, sustainability, and design quality must be balanced.
| Project Element | Strategy | Relevance to Building Professionals |
|---|---|---|
| Phased delivery | Three sequential phases with overlapping design work | Enables continuous museum operations; requires detailed logistics planning for each phase boundary |
| Envelope upgrades | In-kind panel replacement with improved thermal performance | Demonstrates how to upgrade historic concrete buildings without altering exterior appearance |
| Design team structure | Dual-firm interior team (SOM | Selldorf) plus separate landscape architect | Shows how complementary expertise can be combined through federal competitive procurement |
| Infrastructure modernization | Storm water, vertical transportation, fine art storage, HVAC | Illustrates the breadth of systems that typically need replacement in 50-year-old institutional buildings |
| Public engagement | Visioning document followed by public consultation | Highlights importance of community input in prominent public projects |
| Historic preservation | Retaining Gordon Bunshaft’s original design intent while modernizing | Balancing preservation with contemporary performance requirements in designated cultural landmarks |
| Sustainability integration | Across all phases and systems | Shows that sustainability is not a separate work package but must be embedded in every intervention |
Planning for Occupied Construction
One of the most challenging aspects of museum renovations is maintaining operations throughout construction. The Hirshhorn plans to keep its programming running during all phases, requiring careful coordination between construction activities and public events. Key strategies for occupied construction in cultural buildings include:
- Establishing clear dust and noise containment zones with temporary barriers that meet museum-grade air quality standards
- Scheduling disruptive work during off-hours or periods of reduced public programming
- Maintaining accessible circulation paths that separate construction traffic from visitor routes
- Implementing vibration monitoring to protect sensitive artworks in adjacent gallery spaces
- Coordinating utility shutdowns to minimize impact on climate-controlled collection storage areas
For building professionals, the Hirshhorn approach to adaptive reuse and renovation strategies demonstrates that even large-scale institutional revitalization can be accomplished without full building closure. The phased methodology reduces risk by allowing each intervention to be completed and commissioned before the next phase begins.
Material Selection and Long-Term Performance
The in-kind replacement of roof and pre-cast panels in Phase 1 reflects a pragmatic approach to material selection in historic buildings. Rather than introducing new facade materials that could create visual or performance conflicts, the project maintains the existing architectural vocabulary while upgrading the assembly’s thermal characteristics. This approach requires careful detailing at transition points between old and new elements, particularly at roof edges, panel joints, and window interfaces.
Building professionals should note that measuring embodied carbon in renovation projects like this one is essential for understanding the full environmental impact. Retaining existing structural elements while upgrading their performance typically results in significantly lower embodied carbon than demolition and new construction, making phased renovations an inherently more sustainable approach to institutional building modernization.
Community Engagement and Public Process
As a Smithsonian institution on the National Mall, the Hirshhorn project is subject to federal procurement rules and public consultation requirements. SOM | Selldorf will submit a visioning document in 2023 of their concept design, which will undergo a public consultation process before final approval. This transparency requirement is typical for prominent public buildings and should be factored into project timelines from the outset.
For building professionals, early engagement with community stakeholders, historic preservation boards, and federal agencies can prevent costly redesigns later in the project. The Hirshhorn’s structured approach to public consultation provides a useful model for institutional projects where community input is both a legal requirement and an opportunity to build support for the renovation.
The Hirshhorn Museum revitalization represents a significant investment in one of Washington’s most prominent cultural institutions. For building professionals, the project offers a comprehensive case study in phased renovation, sustainable infrastructure modernization, and design team collaboration on a nationally significant public building.