National Air and Space Museum East End Galleries
Overview
The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum East End Galleries celebrates the history and future of flight, space exploration, and scientific innovation. Reich&Petch led design development, detailing and technical documentation.
Details
- Client
- Smithsonian Institution
- Project
- National Air and Space Museum, East End Galleries
- Size
- 65,200 sq. ft.
- Project Delivery
- Design-Build
- Scope
- Exhibit Design - Aviation
- Location
- Washington, D.C., USA
- Year Completed
- In Progress
The
Goal
The Smithsonian Institution selected D&P as the design-build project lead with R&P to complete exhibit design for 10 state-of-the-art galleries. The Museum’s artifacts and stories needed to be optimally showcased while meeting ambitious budget and timeline targets. The 10 galleries range from hands-on, interactive exhibits like How Things Fly to galleries focused on iconic artifacts like the Hubble Space Telescope in Living in the Space Age and Charles A. Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis in Pioneers of Flight. Highlights also include a walk-through reconstruction of the International Space Station’s Destiny Module in At Home in Space.
Each gallery integrates iconic aviation artifacts ranging in size from small objects like coins, pins, and uniforms to large aircraft and spacecraft using a mix of conservation cases, suspended displays, and open platforms. R&P’s goal was to enhance the visual impact and functionality of these spaces, develop the approach to accessibility with the Museum and their advisors, as well as document and coordinate all aspects of the design.
The
Design
R&P coordinated AV, graphics, mechanical interactives, accessibility, lighting, health & safety systems, and MEP. R&P developed a comprehensive approach in creating exhibit specific typology systems and coordination efforts that allowed streamlining of the fabrication process. While creating these efficiencies, it was crucial that each gallery maintain a unique identity through its distinct layout, objects and finishes. In collaboration with the Museum’s accessibility consultant from the Institute of Human Centered Design, R&P carefully analyzed and refined the installations to ensure accessible solutions for galleries rich in dense objects and interactive experiences.
R&P also developed extensive artifact layouts, and selected final finishes for all galleries. The team utilized REVIT to produce detailed and comprehensive design documentation, supporting extensive museum reviews throughout the process. R&P also developed photo realistic fundraising renderings and flythroughs at the end of each milestone to be used for fundraising and communications purposes.
