Architecture

National Museum of African American History and Culture named best design of 2017

National Museum of African American History and Culture named best design of 2017
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) has been declared overall winner of the 2017 Beazley Design of the Year
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) has been declared overall winner of the 2017 Beazley Design of the Year
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The National Museum of African American History and Culture was designed by Adjaye Associates alongside The Freelon Group, Davis Brody Bond, and SmithGroupJJR
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The National Museum of African American History and Culture was designed by Adjaye Associates alongside The Freelon Group, Davis Brody Bond, and SmithGroupJJR
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) has been declared overall winner of the 2017 Beazley Design of the Year
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The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) has been declared overall winner of the 2017 Beazley Design of the Year
The NMAAHC is located in Washington D.C.'s National Mall
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The NMAAHC is located in Washington D.C.'s National Mall
The NMAAHC seeks to tell the history of the USA through an African American lens
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The NMAAHC seeks to tell the history of the USA through an African American lens
The NMAAHC is wrapped in an ornamental bronze-colored metal lattice
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The NMAAHC is wrapped in an ornamental bronze-colored metal lattice
The NMAAHC's interior measures 397,000 sq ft (36,882 sq m)
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The NMAAHC's interior measures 397,000 sq ft (36,882 sq m)
The NMAAHC is slated for LEED Gold (a green building standard)
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The NMAAHC is slated for LEED Gold (a green building standard)
The Nike Pro Hijab is a single-layer stretchy high-performance Hijab. It won the Fashion category
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The Nike Pro Hijab is a single-layer stretchy high-performance Hijab. It won the Fashion category
Fractured Lands, by The New York Times Magazine, contained a nonfiction narrative by Scott Anderson and 20 photographs by Paolo Pellegrin. It tells the story of the Arab world since the invasion of Iraq 13 years ago, leading to the rise of ISIS and the global refugee crisis. It won the Graphics category
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Fractured Lands, by The New York Times Magazine, contained a nonfiction narrative by Scott Anderson and 20 photographs by Paolo Pellegrin. It tells the story of the Arab world since the invasion of Iraq 13 years ago, leading to the rise of ISIS and the global refugee crisis. It won the Graphics category
Fractured Lands, by The New York Times Magazine, contained a nonfiction narrative by Scott Anderson and 20 photographs by Paolo Pellegrin. It tells the story of the Arab world since the invasion of Iraq 13 years ago, leading to the rise of ISIS and the global refugee crisis. It won the Graphics category
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Fractured Lands, by The New York Times Magazine, contained a nonfiction narrative by Scott Anderson and 20 photographs by Paolo Pellegrin. It tells the story of the Arab world since the invasion of Iraq 13 years ago, leading to the rise of ISIS and the global refugee crisis. It won the Graphics category
AIR-INK, by Graviky Labs, is the first commercially available ink made from air pollution. The firm has industrialized the process of capturing and recycling air pollution emissions into advanced pigments and inks. It won the Product category
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AIR-INK, by Graviky Labs, is the first commercially available ink made from air pollution. The firm has industrialized the process of capturing and recycling air pollution emissions into advanced pigments and inks. It won the Product category
AIR-INK, by Graviky Labs, is the first commercially available ink made from air pollution. The firm has industrialized the process of capturing and recycling air pollution emissions into advanced pigments and inks. It won the Product category
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AIR-INK, by Graviky Labs, is the first commercially available ink made from air pollution. The firm has industrialized the process of capturing and recycling air pollution emissions into advanced pigments and inks. It won the Product category
Scewo is a stair-climbing wheelchair that can smoothly travel both up and down stairs, while an extra pair of wheels at the rear of the chair allows users to raise the chair up so users can engage with others at eye level. It won the Transport category
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Scewo is a stair-climbing wheelchair that can smoothly travel both up and down stairs, while an extra pair of wheels at the rear of the chair allows users to raise the chair up so users can engage with others at eye level. It won the Transport category
Scewo is a stair-climbing wheelchair that can smoothly travel both up and down stairs, while an extra pair of wheels at the rear of the chair allows users to raise the chair up so users can engage with others at eye level. It won the Transport category
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Scewo is a stair-climbing wheelchair that can smoothly travel both up and down stairs, while an extra pair of wheels at the rear of the chair allows users to raise the chair up so users can engage with others at eye level. It won the Transport category
The NMAAHC's interior includes galleries, administrative spaces, theater space, collections, and storage space
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The NMAAHC's interior includes galleries, administrative spaces, theater space, collections, and storage space
One of the NMAAHC's exhibitions
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One of the NMAAHC's exhibitions 
One of the NMAAHC's exhibitions
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One of the NMAAHC's exhibitions 
The NMAAHC's interior measures 397,000 sq ft (36,882 sq m)
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The NMAAHC's interior measures 397,000 sq ft (36,882 sq m)
Rapid Liquid Printing was designed by MIT Self-Assembly Lab in collaboration with Christophe Guberan, and Steelcase. It's a 3D-printing technique that enables the creation of large scale, customized products made of real-world materials. It won the Digital category
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Rapid Liquid Printing was designed by MIT Self-Assembly Lab in collaboration with Christophe Guberan, and Steelcase. It's a 3D-printing technique that enables the creation of large scale, customized products made of real-world materials. It won the Digital category
Rapid Liquid Printing was designed by MIT Self-Assembly Lab in collaboration with Christophe Guberan, and Steelcase. It's a 3D-printing technique that enables the creation of large scale, customized products made of real-world materials. It won the Digital category
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Rapid Liquid Printing was designed by MIT Self-Assembly Lab in collaboration with Christophe Guberan, and Steelcase. It's a 3D-printing technique that enables the creation of large scale, customized products made of real-world materials. It won the Digital category
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The National Museum of African American History and Culture, designed by Ghanian British architect Sir David Adjaye, has won the prestigious Beazley Design of the Year for 2017. The project beat strong competition including a new 3D-printing technique named Rapid Liquid Printing, and a stair-climbing wheelchair dubbed Scewo.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture (or NMAAHC), is envisioned as a symbol of the African American contribution to the United States' history and identity, and tells the story of the country through the lens of the African American experience.

Located close to the Washington Monument on what was the last available building plot on the National Mall, the building looks kind of like an inverted pagoda, and its overall shape is inspired by a Yoruban Caryatid, a traditional West African wooden column. Its large main entrance is conceived as a welcoming porch, while the exterior is wrapped in an ornamental bronze-colored metal lattice which pays homage to the ironwork once crafted by enslaved African Americans.

The interior of the NMAAHC measures 397,000 sq ft (36,882 sq m) spread over 10 floors (five above ground and five subterranean), and includes galleries, administrative spaces, theater space, collections, and more.

One of the NMAAHC's exhibitions
One of the NMAAHC's exhibitions 

There is significant sustainable technology and design installed in the building, such as roof-based solar panels, ground source heat pumps for efficient heating and cooling, and rainwater harvesting for toilet and irrigation use. Natural light is maximized, plus recycled and recyclable materials were used during construction.

The building was designed by Adjaye's firm Adjaye Associates but also involved the Freelon Group, Davis Brody Bond, and SmithGroupJJR. It was inaugurated by President Obama in September 2016 and the construction budget came in at US$385 million.

The 2017 Beazley Design of the Year recognizes winners in six different categories: Digital, Fashion, Graphics, Product, Transport, and Architecture. The NMAAHC won the Architecture category and was declared overall winner. The other category winners can be seen in the gallery.

All of the designs, along with a total of 56 other nominations, are also on display in London's Design Museum until February 18.

Sources: Design Museum, NMAAHC

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