Market: Military + Government
Royal Norwegian Embassy Renovation
Downtown D.C. is Full of ‘Dumb Boxes.’ Not These Stunning New Buildings.
Earthy materials like copper and terra-cotta are adding warmth and texture to the city known for squat glass offices.
Excerpt: Few buildings offer such extraordinary design opportunities in D.C. as the city’s embassies. But even these commanding projects still need to abide by local codes, historic review and even neighborhood commissioners. The challenges involved in designing embassy buildings are much the same as with any office, but choices about composition and material also represent a form of diplomacy — abroad and nearby.
For their embassy renovation, Norwegian authorities were interested in finding a design that reflected an American view of Norway, according to Steve White, principal and D.C. studio director for Fentress Architects. At the same time, the design would need to pass muster with neighbors who live along Embassy Row.
For the renovation, Fentress clad part of the building in copper. Norway boasts that the metal used to build the Statue of Liberty came from a copper mine on an island on the North Sea; a miniature reproduction stands in the village of Visnes to mark its contribution. Besides being a specific historical allusion, copper looks traditional. White says the architects gave the building the kind of mansard copper roof that looks like it had always been there.
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Distinctive Visitor Center and Hotel Finally Take Flight
Digging Deeper | Cultural
Excerpts:
A new visitor center and hotel just outside the North Gate of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs are pretty hard to miss. The multi-planed roof design of the former conjures images of fighter jets staggered underneath each other, and the two structures are connected via a pedestrian bridge.
In the wake of 9/11, stringent security measures impacted the original visitor center on the [Air Force Academy] campus. Annual attendance waned from more than 1 million to about 250,000. The post-9/11 dynamic led to the idea of moving the visitor center outside of the academy’s North Gate.
Situated on a bluff just west of I-25, the 34,000-sq-ft center is nearing completion after the project broke ground in late 2022. Featuring a mezzanine on the first level and core and shell on the second level, the steel structure supports a metal wall panel, curtain wall and three metal panel roof systems. Schnepf says the new facility could return attendance to the pre-9/11 levels when it opens in late 2025. The exterior and structure are due for completion this spring, then the AFA will build out the interior.”
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Oklahoma National Guard breaks ground on new museum
… National Guard Museum in Oklahoma City in a ceremony attended by veterans and current National Guard members on May 16.
“Today is a …
Concept for Visitor Education Center at 9/11 Pentagon Memorial is Approved
National Capital Planning Commission & Commission of Fine Arts Approve Fentress Architects Design
ARLINGTON, VA – The Pentagon Memorial Fund, Inc. (PMF) recently passed a critical milestone in the development of a Visitor Education Center at the site of the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial. The Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) approved the concept design by Fentress Architects following an approval in July from the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC). The Visitor Education Center will be located within walking distance of the Pentagon Memorial. It is also in close proximity to Arlington National Cemetery and the US Air Force Memorial.
“With these approvals, the PMF has reached a milestone that will allow us to take the next step in building a visitors’ education center to tell the story of the terrorist attacks, the victims and responders and the subsequent national and international.” said Pentagon Memorial Fund, Inc. Board Chairman and President Sean T. Connaughton. “This history must be preserved and accurately passed on to future American generations. We must never forget.”
While the Pentagon site was the first to have a 9/11 memorial, it is also the only site still lacking a visitors’ center. The 9/11 Pentagon Memorial Visitor Education Center will honor the 184 victims of the attack on the Pentagon as well as explore the local, national, and international response to 9/11 and subsequent Global War on Terror. Therefore, the Visitor Education Center is anticipated to function as a national convening space for the examination of these responses, and their continuing impact.
“The new Visitor Education Center at the 9/11 Memorial will be a dynamic structure—imbued with meaning, conducive to contemplation, and encouraging of resilience,” explains Curtis Worth Fentress, Founder and Principal-in-Charge of Design at Fentress Architects.
Over $14 million has been raised to support the creation of a 9/11 Pentagon Memorial’s Visitor Education Center. Major donors include Amazon & Amazon Web Services, the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, Transurban, Accenture, the J. Willard & Alice S. Marriott Foundation, and the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. With these two key approvals in place, the Pentagon Memorial Fund has launched a campaign to raise the balance of funds necessary to complete the Visitor Education Center in time for the 25th commemoration of the 9/11 attacks, which will occur in 2026.
About Pentagon Memorial Fund
Families of the victims of the 9/11 attack at the Pentagon formed PMF in 2003. The National Memorial was dedicated five years later as a public and private partnership. The PMF continues to support the Memorial with private funding and volunteer docents. Up to one million annual visitors experience the memorial today including many school groups from all over the United States. For more information on PMF, including how to give, visit pentagonmemorial.org.
Contact: press@pentagon-memorial.org // (202) 417 6590
About Fentress Architects
Fentress Architects is a global design firm dedicated to the creation of sustainable and iconic architecture that enhances the human environment. Founded in 1980 by Curtis Fentress, the firm’s portfolio serves over 650 million people annually, valued at over $47 billion, and has earned more than 600 distinctions for design excellence and innovation. For more information about Fentress Architects, visit fentressarchitects.com. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
Visitor Education Center Design Team
- Design Architect & Architect of Record: Fentress Architects, Ltd.
- Owner’s Representative: Mark G. Anderson Consultants, Inc.
- Exhibit Design: The PRD Group, LLC
- Contractor: James G. Davis Construction Corp.
