National Museum of the United States Army

This project has been in SOM’s office for many years. We won the design competition nearly two decades ago, but we were not officially awarded the project until 2008 and ground was not broken until 2016. Like many projects of this nature, the Army Historical Foundation had to raise much of the money from private donors. The result of that fundraising is the museum that you see today. And through it all, with the thousands of donors, the foundation, and various government constituencies, our job as architects was to build consensus through the entire process, and make sure we maintained a sense of excitement and aspiration for the museum. That vision was to create an institution of national significance — a place that would tell the story of the individual soldier.

The National Museum of the United States Army is the first museum to tell the story of the oldest branch of the US military. It walks visitors through every generation of the Army, focusing not on battles or wars, but on the individual soldier — a centuries-long narrative of honor, sacrifice, and valor. It is a center of education, and is designed to serve as the Army’s symbolic front door.

The main building is designed in a series of five pavilions for exhibits and special events, and for the future of the site, SOM’s design and plan also includes a quiet memorial garden, a parade field and grandstand, and an Army trail with interpretive stations.

The museum is a place of national significance, and it is designed to express that. The architecture draws inspiration from three core ideals — discipline, modesty, and rigor — that come together to create an inviting center of education. These ideals are expressed particularly in the facade, which is designed in a regular grid of laser-cut, stainless steel panels. At the corner of each of the building’s five pavilions, recessed glass panels alternate with painted aluminum fins to create a sense of dynamism within the building’s sculpted form.

The museum is located on a bucolic, 84-acre site in the Fort Belvoir Military Installation in Virginia, and its placement within this site is inspired by the planning for the historic United States Military Academy at West Point. Like the academy, the building rests atop a plateau to evoke a sense of monumentality. This creates a symbolic experience that begins with the access road, which offers a glimpse of the stainless steel-clad museum through the trees and across a long meadow.

During the day and into the evening, the stainless steel responds directly to its setting. It reflects the surroundings and the light from the sun. This creates another level of dynamism within the facade — it transforms the character of the building through every season and time of day.

Sustainability is essential to all of our work, and critical to the Army’s construction projects. Structures should be designed with an eye toward the environment, and they must be built to last. The museum is no exception — it was certified LEED Silver in 2019 through a variety of measures, including the facade design, which was conceived to protect the building in addition to serving as one of the signature architectural features. The stainless steel panels on the facade, which beautifully reflects its surroundings, also acts as a rainscreen system, and provides the building with insulation. This helps reduce energy use, and helps maintain an essential balance between temperature and humidity regulation — an essential component for a museum that displays many old items and artifacts in its collection.

The stainless steel was chosen as the cladding material to make a powerful architectural expression. The way it changes the character of the building throughout every day and every season establishes a sense of humility. There is also a simplicity and a sharpness to the paneling, and that is meant to evoke the discipline, modesty, and rigor that is central to the design.

The steel also works well with the composition of the museum. Because the building is designed in a series of pavilions — including several that, like in most museums, were required to have no natural light — we wanted to create a dynamic interplay between the steel and, where we could, with glass. To establish this interplay, we designed glass thresholds between each pavilion. From the outside, these thresholds bring a permeability to the facade — providing a contrast to the reflections in the steel. From the inside, the thresholds signify transitions between spaces, and offer views out to the landscape. These views complement the natural materials of the interior, which is characterized by terrazzo floors and American white oak and ash finishes, to create a warm and relaxing environment.

Email interview conducted by John Hill.