A museum taking shape in the center of the National Geographic Society’s downtown Washington, D.C., headquarters campus promises to set new benchmarks in both sustainable construction and technology-rich immersive educational experiences to showcase the world’s natural and cultural wonders.
Totaling more than 100,000 sq ft of renovation and new construction, the Museum of Exploration also will feature one-of-a-kind curated exhibits, a state-of-the-art theater, restaurant, retail store and central plaza.
The museum, designed by architect Hickok Cole and under construction by DC-based HITT Contracting since mid-2022, builds literally and figuratively on elements of the Nation Geographic Society’s 136-year history.
Ryan Sokoloski, the organization’s senior director of building operations explains that the new facility extends into the campus’s four existing buildings, including the Classical Revival-style Hubbard Hall, built in 1904, and others that were added and expanded from 1931 to the early 1980s.
“We’ve had to take into account the different types of construction,” Sokoloski says, “from waffle slabs in one building to terra cotta slabs in another.”
Subgrade work included drilling micropiles 25 ft to 60 ft deep to bedrock, which Sokoloski says varies in depth beneath the city-block-sized campus.
“In some areas, we poured foundation concrete directly on bedrock,” he adds.
After installing pile caps and subgrade structural steel, HITT continued with the new museum’s 15,000-sq-ft pavilion with a glass facade and rooftop terrace, which will serve as the main entrance and event space. The pavilion and existing campus buildings, which will undergo first-floor renovations, will surround a new 52,000-sq-ft public plaza.
Sokoloski credits the project team for helping incorporate National Geographic’s high standards for sustainability into the museum, which is targeting LEED Platinum when it opens in 2026. Millwork, originally designed to be oak, was changed to ash salvaged from trees damaged by an invasive borer beetle. Concrete knee walls that extend metal decking use air gaps for insulation, eliminating the need for polystyrene material.
Instead of using carbon-intense lightweight concrete for the project’s floor decks, structural engineer Arup suggested using normal-weight concrete with a 3/8-in. layer of cementitious fireproofing material sprayed on the bottom. Sokoloski says the change reduced carbon emissions by 20%.
Some sustainability elements have not yet been finalized, such as the composition of the pavilion’s signature entryway—an11-ft-tall yellow border reminiscent of the iconic National Geographic magazine covers.
“We’re evaluating several mock-ups to determine the exact material, though it certainly won’t be plastic,” Sokoloski says. “We want to be true to our brand.”
The Museum of Exploration follows a multi-year program to upgrade interior spaces in several of the of National Geographic’s other campus buildings. Also designed by Hickock Cole and built by Rockville, Md.-based Davis Construction, the program modernized work areas to facilitate greater collaboration while also incorporating modern media technology and increasing access to natural light. Solar panels provide 25% of the buildings’ power, while a grey water HVAC system further reduces the campus’s carbon footprint.
National Geographic has not publicly released a cost for either the museum or the existing building renovation program.
