National Gallery of Art, East Building

Washington, D.C.

Situated on the Mall at the foot of the U.S. Capitol, the East Building occupies one of the most sensitive sites in the world.

  • Cultural
  • Urban Districts & Public Spaces

In response to the need to fulfill two distinct functions—an expansion museum and a study center—the trapezoidal site is sliced into two triangular buildings joined by a central atrium. In plan, section, and elevation, the interlocking volumes merge inseparably in a spatial dialogue of rigorous geometry, technical innovation, and exacting craftsmanship. Three flexible towers are organized around a light-filled central atrium, providing space for exhibitions of different scales.

Stats

  • Site

    8.8-acre trapezoidal site adjacent to the existing National Gallery at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and the Washington Mall

  • Components

    604,000 ft2 / 56,000 m2 gross area; skylit atrium; exhibition space; auditoria; varied dining; bookstore; technical support; Visual Arts Study Center with skylit reading room, library stacks, offices and support spaces, academic offices; subterranean link to existing museum; landscaped plaza with tetrahedral skylights and chadar waterwall; commissioned monumental art; renovations to original museum

  • Client

    Trustees of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

  • PCF Services

    Master planning, architecture, exterior envelope, interior design

The East Building mirrors the symmetry of its historic counterpart and continues its east-west axis. The new and old buildings are united into an integrated whole by an underground tunnel animated by prismatic skylights, a water wall, and a wide range of dining and other services.

Site plan

The triangular geometry of the site provides a consistent motif throughout the building, influencing both the smallest details and the viewer’s perspective through space, particularly in the skylit atrium that serves as a hub of circulation and orientation.

Awards

  • One of America's Ten Best Buildings
    American Institute of Architects: College of Fellows, 1986
  • Twenty-Five Year Award
    American Institute of Architects, 2004
  • National Honor Award
    American Institute of Architects, 1981
  • Annual Tucker Award
    Building Stone Institute, 1979

Project Credits

  • Structural

    Weiskopf & Pickworth, New York

  • Mechanical / Electrical

    Syska & Hennessy, New York

  • Landscape

    Office of Dan Kiley, Charlotte, VT

  • Marble

    Malcom Rice, Concord, TN

  • Images

    Ezra Stoller/Esto, PCF Architects, Robert Lautman, Courtesy of the National Building Museum, John Nicolais/PCF Architects, Allen Freeman

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