African-American Museum Design

A couple weeks ago I was surprised to see on a map "National Museum of African American History Future Site." The establishment of this museum has been a long and difficult process. Somehow I missed the news that it had been approved but I'm glad to see that it will soon be coming to the Mall.


An interview with the architect who designed the building from NPR...

An unreachable dream for many generations, the creation of the National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall is coming closer to completion. A Smithsonian jury Tuesday selected the Freelon Adjaye Bond team, along with SmithGroup, to design the museum, slated to open in 2015.

The museum will be the first certified environmentally friendly building on the Mall. Resembling an African corona, the museum is topped by a bronze crown surrounding the exhibits that will reflect sunlight throughout the day.

Other projects designed by members of the group are San Francisco's Museum of the African Diaspora and the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway.

I've been to the Museum of the African Diaspora in SF and although I think the collection is a bit thin, the building is quite nice.