Images have been released of Safdie Architects' design for the new National Medal of Honor Museum in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. The commission, awarded to Safdie following a national search in October, will honor the men and women who "served and sacrificed in defense of the US" and have received the nation's highest military award - the Medal of Honor - from the Civil War to the present.
The National Medal of Honor Museum will be built on the marshlands at Patriots Point on the eastern shore of Charleston Harbor, adjacent to the "iconic Ravenel Bridge" and the historic USS Yorktown. Built on pylons, the pentagonal concrete and glass structure will rise 128 feet, matching the adjacent aircraft carrier's height. It's shape is defined by five projecting galleries, "clustering into a single star-like form." This, as described in the project's description, metaphorically represents the "stories of many individuals are gathered into a powerful collective narrative - the story of the Medal of Honor."
A total of three buildings will makeup the 107,000 square-foot museum:
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"A grass-topped land pavilion that will house the museum entrance and lobby, a 240-seat auditorium, a museum shop, curatorial and archival space and administrative offices for the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation and the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation;
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"A museum building that will include a Hall of Valor that can accommodate public and private events, celebrations and memorials; eight permanent and two special exhibits galleries; and conference, meeting and classroom space, and a small café. A two-level pedestrian bridge – the lower level for groups and conferences and the upper level to take visitors to museum exhibits – will span a ravine to connect the pavilion to the museum.
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"A 140-seat chapel at the tip of the site, overlooking the sea, will be connected to the museum by another two-level pedestrian bridge. It will serve as a place of contemplation and celebration for public as well as personal events."
It is designed to achieve LEED Silver. The exhibits will be designed by Gallagher & Associates.
News via Resnicow
