Welcome Galleries | 2019-2021

Washington D.C.

Architects: Studio Joseph
Client: National Building Museum
Photographers: Yassine El Mansouri

The Welcome Center provides visitors with a friendly, engaging introduction to the National Building Museum in Washington D.C. The educational objective is on awareness of global warming and humanity's carbon footprint through content delivery and the design fabrication itself.

The designers were well aware of the impact that we have on our planet as we construct landscapes, buildings, and infrastructure, yet the public does focus on this impact as they ask for more and more new buildings.

The galleries address this decision-making process with stories showing commitment to taking action for ecological thinking and resiliency. The design itself embraces these beliefs.

Gallery 1 provides ticketing and information for all visitors and a comfortable place of gathering. The casework draws from the museum's collection with an emphasis on sustainable materials. Displayed here are toys, models, and measures that we all use and play with from our childhood, driving forward the idea that we are all makers and responsible as part of the process.

Gallery 2 explores the built environment with a broad range of places and spaces people have created to support human activity, from landscapes to simple structures, public spaces to vast metropolises. The visitor learns about the transformative ideas and technologies constantly reshaping the places we inhabit.
The table utilizes graphic robotics. The skylines of diverse American cities become bar graphs of light that explore issues such as transportation, housing, ecology, and resiliency.

Gallery 3 focuses on raw and manufactured materials used for building construction. Material selection determines how structures look, feel, and react to their local conditions. With an emphasis on exploring texture, the projects displayed deploy materials that give visitors to explore why and how different natural, synthetic, and repurposed products impact the environment.

The designers speak strongly to new ideas for reducing our carbon footprint. The voice of the stories architects and engineers. What do they consider in choosing materials or making plans? The featured designers talk straightforwardly about what drives the process and options for conservation.

By demystifying the construction industry, the community is invited to the table, not as observers but as participants. The designers believe in starting early and worked with the museum to make this a fun, dynamic place for children so they can begin asking questions.