THE NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM in Washington by BIG-BJARKE INGELS GROUP

Article source: BIG-BJARKE INGELS GROUP

A life-size indoor maze by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group is sure to delight its visitors at the National Building Museum in Washington, offering a glimpse into the upcoming BIG exhibition at the Museum in early 2015.

“The concept is simple: as you travel deeper into a maze, your path typically becomes more convoluted. What if we invert this scenario and create a maze that brings clarity and visual understanding upon reaching the heart of the labyrinth”, Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, BIG.

Image Courtesy © BIG-BJARKE INGELS GROUP

• Architects: BIG-BJARKE INGELS GROUP
• Project: THE NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM
• Location: Washington, U.S.A

Collaborators

• Contractors: Clark Construction, Davis, Glass Construction, GCS Inc., Grunley Construction, Sigal
• Materials: Home Depot Foundation
• Cost Estimation: Cumming, VJ Associates
• Structural Engineering: Robert Silman Associates
• Live-Streaming Multimedia: Earthcam
• Support: The American Institute of Architects, STUDIOS Architecture

BIG Credit List

• Partners-in-Charge: Bjarke Ingels, Kai-Uwe Bergmann
• Project Leader: Chi-Chi Lin
• Team: Ziad Shehab, Thea Gasseholm, Annette Miller

National Building Museum Credit List

• Project Director: Cathy Crane Frankel
• Master Carpenter: Chris Maclay
• Team: Lily Feinberg, Mary Hendrickse, Sarah Leavitt, Jamee Telford, Vladimir Zabavskiy

Image Courtesy © BIG-BJARKE INGELS GROUP

“This distinctive maze offers our visitors a chance to physically interact with the work of a cutting-edge, international design firm,” said Chase W. Rynd, executive director of the National Building Museum. “It will be a great framework for exploring the exhibition in a few months.”

Image Courtesy © BIG-BJARKE INGELS GROUP

Inspired by ancient labyrinths, gardens and hedge mazes of 17^th – 18^th-century Europe, and modern American corn mazes, the BIG Maze is located in the National Building Museum’s historic Great Hall. From outside, the maze’s cube-like form hides the final reveal behind its 20-foot-tall walls. On the inside, the walls slowly descend towards the center which concludes with a grand reveal—a 360 degree understanding of your path in and how to get out. The 57×57 feet installation of Baltic birch plywood is open from July 4th to September 1st, 2014.

Image Courtesy © BIG-BJARKE INGELS GROUP

A life-size indoor maze by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group is sure to delight its visitors at the National Building Museum in Washington, offering a glimpse into the upcoming BIG exhibition at the Museum in early 2015.

“The concept is simple: as you travel deeper into a maze, your path typically becomes more convoluted. What if we invert this scenario and create a maze that brings clarity and visual understanding upon reaching the heart of the labyrinth”, Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, BIG.

Image Courtesy © BIG-BJARKE INGELS GROUP

“This distinctive maze offers our visitors a chance to physically interact with the work of a cutting-edge, international design firm,” said Chase W. Rynd, executive director of the National Building Museum. “It will be a great framework for exploring the exhibition in a few months.”

Image Courtesy © BIG-BJARKE INGELS GROUP

Inspired by ancient labyrinths, gardens and hedge mazes of 17^th – 18^th-century Europe, and modern American corn mazes, the BIG Maze is located in the National Building Museum’s historic Great Hall. From outside, the maze’s cube-like form hides the final reveal behind its 20-foot-tall walls. On the inside, the walls slowly descend towards the center which concludes with a grand reveal—a 360 degree understanding of your path in and how to get out. The 57×57 feet installation of Baltic birch plywood is open from July 4th to September 1st, 2014.

The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to advancing the quality of the built environment by educating people about its impact on their lives. Through its exhibitions, educational programs, online content, and publications, the Museum has become a vital forum for the exchange of ideas and information about the world we build for ourselves.

Image Courtesy © BIG-BJARKE INGELS GROUP

Tags: U.S.A., Washington

Category: Museum

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