Smithsonian Master Plan

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Washington, DC
Cultural
1,100,000 sf
2018
Masterplan Complete

The Smithsonian South Mall Campus Masterplan reimagines a historically significant yet fragmented institutional district into a cohesive, accessible, and future-oriented campus. Anchored by the Arts and Industries Building, the Smithsonian Castle, and surrounding gardens, the project addresses aging infrastructure, limited public access, and the need for expanded programmatic capacity within one of the most visited cultural corridors in the United States.

The masterplan introduces a new organizational framework that consolidates back-of-house functions below grade, freeing the ground plane for public use and improving operational efficiency across the campus. A series of interconnected subterranean expansions house collections, loading, and support spaces, while enabling new and renovated museum programs above to remain open, flexible, and publicly accessible.

At the surface, the project restores and enhances the historic landscape through a continuous public realm strategy, relinking gardens, entrances, and circulation paths into a legible and inviting network. New interventions are carefully integrated within the existing context, balancing preservation with contemporary needs. Discrete architectural additions and reconfigured entries improve visibility and access without compromising the character of the historic campus.

Architecturally, the proposal prioritizes clarity, continuity, and long-term adaptability, creating a resilient framework that allows the Smithsonian to evolve over time while maintaining its civic and cultural presence on the National Mall. The result is a campus that operates as both a world-class institutional infrastructure and an open, democratic public space.

Role: Design Lead while at BIG.

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