Case Study: National Museum of African

American History & Culture

A green museum showcases
the African American story
• Washington Monument grounds
• Corner of 15th St NW and Constitution Ave,
Washington, D.C.
• 5 acre site
• 410,000 sq. ft.
• 5 floors above ground; 5 floors below ground
• $540 million USD total cost for construction and
installation of exhibitions. (One-half funded by
federal funds and the remainder by the
Smithsonian Institution.)
• 110,000 square feet of exhibit space

The National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC) brings together people to explore and
celebrate the African American story. It opened its doors on September 24, 2016 and welcomed more than 3.5
million visitors in its first two years.

The museum includes 11 interactive exhibition galleries, an education center, theater, auditorium, café, store and
offices. There are nearly 40,000 items in its permanent collection and approximately 3,000 objects are on display
in the museum’s exhibitions and galleries.

The museum is located on the Washington Monument grounds. It sits at a great cross-axis that intersects with the
Lincoln Memorial, the White House, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Capitol building. This location recognizes and
makes visible the crucial historical role African Americans have played in the nation’s growth and the expansion of
its democratic ideals. And being part of the National Mall maximizes public access to the museum.

Architecture
Structural Engineering
MEP (Mechanical,
Electrical, Plumbing) and
Fire Protection
Landscape Architecture
Exhibit Design
PROJECT TEAM
Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup(collaboration of The
Freelon Group, Adjaye Associates, Davis Brody Bond and the
SmithGroupJJR)
Guy Nordenson and Associates, Robert Silman Associates
WSP Group
Gustafson Guthrie Nichol (GGN)
Ralph Appelbaum Associates

Exhibit Fabrication Design and Production Incorporated

Construction Clark/Smoot/Russell (joint venture of Clark Construction

Group, Smoot Construction, and H.J. Russell & Company)

Case Study: National Museum of African American History & Culture 1 U.S. Green Building Council©
A D V O CAT IN G F O R T H E N M A A H C
The National Museum of African American History & Culture will be a place where all Americans can learn about
the richness and diversity of the African American experience, what it means to their lives and how it helped us
shape this nation. A place that transcends the boundaries of race and culture that divide us, and becomes a lens
into a story that unites us all. (Smithsonian Institute)

The National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC) was established in 2003 by an Act of
Congress. But, the initial drive for this project began a century ago with the formation of a committee in 1916 to
launch the National Memorial Association to advocate for a national memorial to Negro Soldiers and Sailors in
Washington, D.C. In 1929, President Calvin Coolidge created a presidentially appointed commission to plan for,
design, and erect a memorial building but during the Great Depression the commission was disbanded and plans
languished. Throughout the next decades, groups pushed for new legislation as well as support from the private
sector. In the late 1980’s Congress considered federal funding for a museum and a study was commissioned in
1990. Unfortunately opposition within the Senate stalled plans for a museum. Finally in 2001 the museum received
bipartisan support in Congress and the Senate and in 2003 President George W. Bush signed legislation to
establish the National Museum of African American History & Culture.

Reflecting African American History and Culture

• Collection of nearly 40,000 historical and cultural

artifacts with 3,000 on public display

• Building exterior design incorporates African American

architectural traditions.

• The 350-seat Oprah Winfrey hosts performers, artists,

educators, scholars, authors, musicians, filmmakers
and opinion leaders. The theater’s programs share
how African American history and culture shapes and
enriches the country and the world.

• The typeface used in the exhibition galleries was

created by African American typographer Joshua
Darden.

Photo by Ana L. Ka'ahanui

Project tim e line

Summer 2008 22 firms responded to Request for Qualifications
January 2009 6 finalist announced
April 2009 Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup and Gustafson Guthrie Nichol team
selected for winning design
February 2012 Broke ground
September 24, 2016 Museum opens to the public
February 2018 LEED Gold Certification awarded
Learn more: Watch this time-lapse construction video: https://youtu.be/61NQ_qRmA04

Case Study: National Museum of African American History & Culture 2 U.S. Green Building Council©
 The project team selected for the design understood
building in Washington, DC and understood African
American history and culture. They were selected
for their design idea but a final product was created
through a collaborative process with input from
many points of view. To ensure that the design
intent and the museum’s vision become a reality,
the Smithsonian design team oversaw the
coordination of 32 consultants through design,
documentation and construction.
Both the public and numerous organizations provided input
on the final design of the NMAAHC building including:
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society
Association for the Study of African American Life and History
District of Columbia Office of Planning
National Capital Planning Commission
National Mall Coalition
National Park Service
National Trust for Historic Preservation
U.S. Capitol Historical Society
U.S. General Services Administration

This building’s presence introduced a new design to the carefully developed character of the National Mall and
nearby historic properties and monuments. Under a process known as Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act, numerous parties spent five years identifying key factors and assessing solutions for
harmonizing the building’s relationship with neighboring historic properties, the surrounding landscape, and the
city’s design principles as determined by the L’Enfant and McMillan Plans.

The collaboration and integrative design process led to modifications to the original building design such as
scaling back the aboveground size of the structure, aligning the height to a nearby building and minimizing
potential glare from the exterior material finish. The result is a building that cooperates with the built environment,
while providing its own unique stamp.

B U I L D I NG D E S I GN
The initial design concepts for the museum incorporated architectural traditions from African American and African
Diaspora (people of African origin living outside the continent) as well as themes of uplift and celebration. For
design ideas, the architects also studied images of people with arms uplifted toward the sky in gestures of praise
and jubilation.

Shape
The museum has a distinctive shape. The three-tiered
shape is inspired by the Yoruban art from West Africa.
The trapezoidal, stacked shape takes inspiration from
the top portion of a sculpture by Olowe of Ise, an early
20th-century Yoruban craftsman.

Photo by Ana L. Ka'ahanui

Corona
Another design element that stands out is the Corona, the
unique ornamental form enveloping the exterior. The bronze-
colored filigree panels in the museum’s façade draws on
imagery from both African and American History. It pays
homage to the exquisite craftsmanship of enslaved and free
African American artisans and metalworkers in Charleston and
New Orleans. The filigree’s open weave helps to moderate the
amount of light and heat entering the building.
Photo by Ana L. Ka'ahanui

Case Study: National Museum of African American History & Culture 3 U.S. Green Building Council©
 The Corona consists of 3,600 bronze-colored cast-
aluminum panels covering 70,000 square feet and
weighing a total of 230 tons. While the façade looks
like bronze, it is aluminum. Bronze would have been
too heavy and require too much maintenance. The
project team came up with a beautiful and functional
alternative.

In addition, the exterior Corona supports energy

efficiency. The porosity of the panels differs
depending on the sides where it is desirable to have
more light enter and blocking it where it isn’t wanted
Photo by Ana L. Ka'ahanui in order to reduce heat gain.
The Porch
On the south side of the building is another
unique design feature, The Porch. This is the
covered area through which visitors enter the
museum.

A porch is a place for socializing, telling

stories, sharing lessons and inviting people to
enter. At NMAAHC, The Porch serves as an
entrance, evokes a sense of community, and
welcomes visitors like homes in the old
Photo by Ana L. Ka'ahanui
South.
The canopy over the Porch offers visitors a moment of refuge as they transition from the National Mall into the
museum. Adjacent to the Porch is the Reflecting Pool. Together these two features create a cooling “microclimate”
as the southern winds go over the water and cool the air under the porch. It can be up to 10 degrees cooler under
the Porch than elsewhere on the site.

B U I L D I NG L AY OU T
Due to limitations in Washington, D.C., a
building can only be so tall so NMAAHC used
this to their advantage. Sixty percent of the
structure is below ground. One hundred two feet
- five stories - are above grade and 65 feet - five
stories - are below grade. (Total excavation is
71 feet below the first floor.) Placing interior
spaces below ground is one of the passive
design strategies the project implemented.

The building design is like a Russian stacking matryohska doll, a box within a box within a box. Sensitive
exhibits are kept to the heart of the museum, shielded from the sun by the shaded glass box and the exterior
corona. People and areas for transition between spaces are inside the glass box with space and natural light.

Explore the full museum map to get a sense of the different spaces and layout: https://nmaahc.si.edu/visit/maps

Case Study: National Museum of African American History & Culture 4 U.S. Green Building Council©
A S U S TA I NA BLE B U I L D IN G

“We have the opportunity on behalf of the Smithsonian to design and build a museum for the 21 st century that
will demonstrate our nation’s commitment to sustainable development, and provide a living laboratory to share
knowledge about sustainable construction and facility operation practices, and sustainable preservation and
conservatorship of a major museum collection.”
- Dr. Lonnie Bunch, Director, National Museum of African American History and Culture

The construction and operation tasks were assessed from 2008 to 2011 through a process that included the
development of an environmental impact statement (EIS). An EIS assesses all the impacts a new facility will have
on its total environment. It evaluates factors such as the building program, size, design, traffic, landscaping plans,
and visitor usage.

When the design process began in 2006, the planning
teams knew there was a broad Smithsonian directive
expressing a desire for green development but they did
not know what funding they might receive to support this.
The project’s sustainability plans began with passive
design concepts.
Passive Design Strategies
The building incorporated several passive
design elements. That is, they found ways to
minimize the building’s environmental footprint
without installing high-tech or costly add-ons:

• Compact and climate-responsive building form

The 2010 Smithsonian Sustainable Buildings
Implementation Plan set goals LEED certification for
eligible new construction, major renovation, and interior
renovation projects, as well as selected existing buildings.
Good management of the NMAAHC funds allowed the
team to incorporate active features to supplement the
passive design work they had already done and pursue
LEED certification.
Learn more about the Smithsonian’s sustainability
standards: http://www.sifacilities.si.edu/ae_center/design-
sustainability.html
(less use of energy for both heating and cooling)
• Locating 60% of space below grade (less
exposure to climate means less energy to heat
and cool; the ground above acts as an insulator
for the History Galleries in the lower levels)
• Solar controls via the porch overhang and Corona
(reduce the heat gain in the building and cooling
needs)
• Location of programs within nested layout of the
building (protect exhibits from sun damage)

Sweet Home Café

The onsite restaurant implements many strategies that contribute to the museum’s sustainability goals and
LEED certification:

• ENERGY STAR appliances in the kitchen reduced kitchen electrical load by 20,000 watts
• Demand based ventilation system adjusts for speed of exhaust fans based on smoke/grease sensors
• Reusable dishes, cups and flatware reduce waste from disposal items
• Food pulpier handles food waste and prepares it for composting
• The menu incorporates healthier cooking methods, products, and serving sizes
• Sustainable purchasing practices such as cage-free eggs, antibiotic-free proteins, and season and local
produce.

Check out the menu at: https://nmaahc.si.edu/visit/sweet-home-cafe

Case Study: National Museum of African American History & Culture 5 U.S. Green Building Council©
L E E D S T R AT E GIE S A N D P O I N T S

The compact building design allows maximum open space. The

landscape around the building is an important part of the
museum experience. Wide paths welcome and invite visitors in.
Water features reflect the views and invite visitors to approach.
Native and adaptive plants help to tell the story as well as reduce
the need for irrigation.

Deciduous trees along the western side means in the summer,

the trees help shelter the building from the sun’s rays and in the
winter when there are no leaves, the sun can come in and warm
the spaces.
Photo by Ana L. Ka'ahanui
To reduce light pollution, exterior lights are limited to lighting within the Corona which is directed downwards (in addition
to emergency lighting on pathways).

A light color roof reflects the sun and a green roof over the Porch help to reduce heat island effect. This leads to a
reduction in cooling loads, electricity consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.

The museum is located one block from two metro stations, multiple bus lines and bike sharing service in the city. All of
this reduces the environmental impact from single automobile use. To encourage its employees to use these services,
the museum provides a pre-tax benefit account to pay for public transportation for a daily commute. In addition, the
museum is located near multiple restaurants, amenities, and services which also reduces the need for automobile use.

The building is located at one of the lowest elevation points of the city and the water table is just five feet below grade.
A comprehensive stormwater management system includes a detention vault with 2,500 cubic feet of storage. The vault
collects runoff from the building and site via two storm drain pipes. Water is slowly discharged from the vault through
sand filters back into the soil and excess water is routed into the city’s public storm drain. This reduces the impact from
stormwater runoff on the site and reduces the load on the city’s system.

An underground cistern system takes advantage of the Water Metrics:

access to available reusable water. A 100,900 gallon
cistern collects rainwater, ground water, and cooling
tower condensation and filters it for use in building
operations. The water filtration system can filter 200
gallons per minutes; filtered water is stored in a tank and
used to flush toilets, and for irrigation and the building’s
water features. The building uses 22,000 gallons per day
of repurposed rain, condensation and ground water it
collects for building operations.
Reusing water reduces the need for potable water, an
estimated annual savings from the municipal system of 8
million gallons per year.
• Percent (%) precipitation managed on site = 100%
• Percent (%) waste water reused on site = 50%
• Predicted annual regulated potable water use,
gallons/sf/yr = 0.5 gallon/SF/year (includes sinks,
faucets, and shower fixtures only. Does not
account for cooling tower water consumption.
Flush fixtures, irrigation, and water feature makeup
use 100% non-potable water.)
• Percent (%) regulated potable water reduction from
baseline = 90%

Case Study: National Museum of African American History & Culture 6 U.S. Green Building Council©
 Solar control features (i.e., exterior Corona, trees, Porch
roof) reduce the amount of summer sunlight that comes into
the building thus reducing heat gains and air conditioning
demand.

301 photovoltaic panels on the flat roof harvest sunlight and

convert it to electricity used to heat water for the building.
The system size is 98.4 kW with an annual production of
122,803 kW of electricity. The amount offsets 63% of
energy needed for domestic hot water load in the building.

Photo by Martin Stupich (courtesy of The Smithsonian Institution)

There is a high efficient central plan system with water-cooled centrifugal chillers and a variable speed pumping
system that adjusts to demand; three 500 ton chillers with variable speed drives; a water economizer (heat
exchanger); and condensing hot water boilers and water heaters are at 95% efficient .

The lighting system uses just 0.8 watts per square foot (28% better than code). Spaces with limited access to natural
lighting use LED and fluorescent lighting.

Systems are metered through a centrally monitored electronic metering network and include sub-metering for retail
activities and landscaping.

Through an aggressive waste management control, the project recycled 79% of the construction waste, limiting the
landfill waste to 21%.

23% of the costs of the materials used included recycled and recyclable content. Sources of recycled content
include structural steel, metal ceilings, acoustic ceilings, and gypsum board.

25% of the materials used are regional (extracted or manufactured within 500 miles of the project site). Primary
source of regional materials included structural steel, gypsum board, stainless steel toilet partitions and metal
lockers.

66% of the wood products are certified by FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and contain Chain of Custody
certificates.

Throughout the upper floors are openings in the Corona exterior that frame view s of the Photo by Ana L. Ka'ahanui
Washington Monument, the White House and other significant buildings and monuments.

Case Study: National Museum of African American History & Culture 7 U.S. Green Building Council©
 Design features such as the exterior windows, the atrium,
and reflective flooring allow for maximum use of natural
lighting.

The demand control ventilation system uses CO2 sensors

and has automatic adjustment based on occupant demand
in the lobby, theater, and restaurant keeping the spaces at
optimal air quality based without wasting energy.

North-facing light monitors capture the diffused sunlight

coming from that direction and redirect the natural light to
Photo by Ana L. Ka'ahanui
portions of the museum that need it.

Lighting controls include occupancy sensors and controls for multi-shared spaces. A demand controlled
ventilation automatically adjusts ventilation rate to meet occupant demand.

A Construction Indoor Air Quality plan was implemented that included: HVAC equipment covered to protect from
dust and odors; MERV 13 filters installed before occupancy; and paints, carpets, composite wood, adhesives,
and sealants are low or no VOC.

The project earned all 6 out of 6 Innovation Points available. In addition to the point for having a LEED
Accredited Professional on the team, the project also earned points for these innovation strategies.

Exemplary Performance:
• SS credit: Site Development - Maximize Open Space (doubled requirement of the credit)
• WE credit: Innovative Wastewater Technologies (exceeded 100% reduction in potable water use for
sewage conveyance)
• WE credit: Water Use Reduction (documented a reduction in potable water use by 84%, double the credit
requirement)

Innovation in Design:
• Innovation in Design – The project developed and implemented a Green Housekeeping program in
compliance with LEED-EB O+M v2009 prerequisite Green Cleaning Policy.
• Green Building Education – The project team developed and implemented a Public Education program
that includes a signage program and website.

The project earned three (3) additional points for Regional Priority credits that addressed environmental issues
particular to the location.

• EA credit: Optimize energy performance

• EA credit: On-site renewable energy
• WE credit: Innovative wastewater technologies

Case Study: National Museum of African American History & Culture 8 U.S. Green Building Council©
G R E E N M U S E U MS
A museum’s unique mission - the collection, preservation and conservation of art, material culture, natural history
collections, or even live plants and animals – impacts its sustainability strategies. In most buildings, the occupants’
needs drive temperature conditions. In museums, it is the artifacts and collections that require the most attention.

When caring for cultural collections, the greatest concerns are temperature and relative humidity. Standards have
to be met because artifacts and organic material could degrade if not controlled precisely. Preserving artifacts is
the top priority but climate-controlled facilities take energy.

Other challenges include balancing air movement and the related noise so not to compete with exhibits. Or
balancing lighting to create desirable spaces, protect artifacts, and ensure the comfort of visitors while being
energy efficient. And since museums constantly change interior spaces for new exhibits, this can often lead to
unnecessary waste of materials. Other threats to objects can come from pollutants, particulates, and pests. And
museums like aquariums, botanical gardens and zoos with live artifacts use more water than traditional spaces
and have other unique needs impacting sustainability goals. It can take a lot of energy and resources to maintain
an ideal environment for a museum.

To regulate heat and humidity and maintain conditions

preserving collections without excessive energy use,
buildings must control natural ventilation and improve
insulation. They can also be more sustainable by using non-
toxic or low VOC resources for conservation treatment.
Another strategy is to reuse and recycle old display material
when changing out displays.

With the priority and pressure of sustaining their collections,

museums have often overlooked their role in environmental
sustainability. However, more and more museums are finding
innovative and cost-effective ways to achieve both.

Photo by Ana L. Ka'ahanui

Green Exhibits at NMAAHC

• Many exhibit elements are

built with regional material
and third-party certified
wood while the adhesives
and coating are made with
low-emitting materials.

• The bottom of the exhibit

cases have desiccating trays
that control the moisture
inside of the case, saving
the entire gallery from
needing as rigid of humidity
control.
Photo by Ana L. Ka'ahanui

Case Study: National Museum of African American History & Culture 9 U.S. Green Building Council©
LEED Scorecard

Click on the scorecard to view online

Performance Transparency

As part of its commitment to educate visitors and be a

sustainability leader, the museum shares its sustainable
features and performance data publically via a dashboard –
available online and displayed on a monitor on the Concourse
level.

View the GreenScreen Dashboard online:

https://buildingos.com/s/smithsonian/NMAAHC/?chapterId=291

Photo by Ana L. Ka'ahanui

Case Study: National Museum of African American History & Culture 10 U.S. Green Building Council©
 The Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 19
museums and the National Zoo. In addition they oversee 21 libraries and 9 research facilities. It was
founded in 1846 with funds from James Smithson, an English chemist and mineralogist, who asked they
create “under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of
knowledge.” Established by an act of Congress in 1846 as an independent federal trust instrumentality, it
is a unique public-private partnership which includes federal funding and private support.

The Smithsonian Facilities group oversees planning/design/construction as well as operations and

maintenance of Smithsonian buildings, gardens, and facilities. Learn more at: www.si.edu

The Smithsonian Institution has more than 2 million gross square feet of LEED-certified space.
In addition to the NMAAHC building, other recent LEED certifications include:
• Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute - Gamboa Lab (LEED-NC v2009 Certified)
• National Museum of Natural History (LEED-CI v2009 Certified)
• Renwick Gallery (LEED-NC v2009 Silver)
• National Postal Museum – William H Gross Stamp Gallery (LEED-CI v2009 Gold
• National Museum of the American Indian (LEED-EB:OM v2009 Gold)
• National Museum of American History (LEED CI v2009 Gold)

Learn more:

National Museum of African American History and Culture: https://nmaahc.si.edu

About the building: www.nmaahc.si.edu/explore/building
Online GreenScreen Dashboard: https://buildingos.com/s/smithsonian/NMAAHC/?chapterId=291

Case Study: National Museum of African American History & Culture 11 U.S. Green Building Council©