BIG, DLR group & frank gehry among shortlist of five to design U.S. navy national museum

five proposals for new National Museum of the U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy has unveiled renderings from five architectural firms for their new National Museum campus at Washington Navy Yard. After the initial announcement in December 2022, 80 participants, from a wide range of individuals and architecture practices, sent their artistic concepts and ideas for the planned project, with just five shortlisted to realize it. These include Bjarke Ingels Group, DLR Group, Frank Gehry Partners, Perkins & Will, and Quinn Evans. ‘We are pleased to display five visions for the future of the National Museum of the U.S. Navy,’ said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, ‘while each concept is different, all of them show how we might celebrate our Navy’s accomplishments, honor our veterans and point the way toward the Navy’s future.’

The competition called for an open-to-community museum that will become the home for both Naval veterans and the public, a memorial to the U.S. Navy’s heritage, and a social and cultural hub for education and public events. The museum campus will occupy approximately 270,000 sqft (circa 25,000 sqm), including about 100,000 sqft (circa 9,300 sqm) of net gallery space.

image by Perkins & Will

The Navy (see more here) is aiming for a state-of-the-art museum publicly accessible that will be a new landmark for the community. The competing projects plan on a new building that is set to become a welcoming place of remembrance and contemplation for enlisted sailors, Navy Veterans, and their families, as well as a popular destination in D.C. Apart from the new building, this initiative envisions a potential renovation of the existing historical buildings. Since January, the firms developed their unique concepts and proposals, with designs that comprise a museum entrance, an atrium, a ceremonial courtyard, and some of the Navy’s larger artifacts, like a Corsair aircraft, a Swift Boat, and the sail of a submarine.

‘The concepts unveiled today are a crucial step in exploring what is possible for the new National Museum of the U.S. Navy,’ said NHHC Director Samuel J. Cox, U.S. Navy rear admiral (retired). ‘We’ll tell the story of the Navy’s history as it continues to unfold, and the ideas developed by our finalists herald a new way of honoring that history by inviting visitors to participate.’

image by Perkins & Will

‘These concepts mark an important step in the museum building process,’ according to Charles Swift, Acting Director of the Museum of the United States Navy, who oversaw the competition.

‘These ideas and concepts show what might be possible for a new museum,’ said Swift. ‘We have a number of steps we need to complete before determining a final design, and that first step is having a conversation with America: our Navy, our veterans and our nation, about what we’ve presented today.’