WASHINGTON, D.C.—As the latest Summer Block Party installation by James Corner Field Operations comes to a close, the National Building Museum is pleased to announce that Studio Gang has been selected to design next year’s summer installation. The temporary structure will be the latest in the Museum’s annual series, following ICEBERGS by James Corner Field Operations, which remains open through September 5, 2016. Previous summer collaborations include The BEACH by Snarkitecture (2015) and the BIG Maze by the Bjarke Ingels Group (2014).
Founded by MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang, Studio Gang is an architecture and urbanism practice based in Chicago and New York. Their award-winning projects range in scale from the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo to the Aqua Tower in Chicago. In addition to designing exhibitions for the Art Institute of Chicago, Design Miami at Art Basel Miami Beach, and the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the Studio was recently selected to design the expansion of the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
The 2017 Summer Block Party installation is the latest in a series of collaborations between the National Building Museum and Studio Gang. In 2003, Jeanne Gang exhibited a translucent marble curtain hung in tension for the exhibition Masonry Variations; she presented a lecture for the Museum’s 2009 Women of Architecture series on “Transforming Skylines and Communities”; and in 2010 Gang served as an advisor to the Museum’s Intelligent Cities project.
“We are delighted to embark on a new collaboration with Studio Gang over the next year” said Chase W. Rynd, executive director of the National Building Museum. “With their creativity and impeccable design credentials, they are poised to reimagine the possibilities of this series.”
Each Summer Block Party installation presents innovative, interactive experiences that temporarily transform the Museum’s historic home and challenge visitor perceptions of the built environment. Although the concept for the installation is currently in development, Studio Gang intends to engage this spirit of creative experimentation that has defined the series’ success.
“It’s great to return to the National Building Museum, where our Marble Curtain was such an important early project for Studio Gang, one that informed our thinking about material innovation and research,” said Jeanne Gang, founding principal of Studio Gang. “We are looking forward to building on the legacy and energy of the summer series, in the historic space of the Museum’s Great Hall.”
Details of Studio Gang’s design for the National Building Museum’s Summer Block Party will be announced in early 2017. The installation is slated to open to the public on July 4 and will remain on view until Labor Day 2017.
ABOUT
Studio Gang is an architecture and urban design practice based in Chicago and New York. Recognized internationally for a design process that foregrounds the relationships between individuals, communities, and environments, Studio Gang’s work ranges in scale from the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo to the 82-story Aqua Tower. Studio Gang was also recently commissioned to design the new US Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil. Central to the Studio’s practice is an ethos of sustainability with a focus on research and experimentation. Recently completed works include the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College, Michigan; Writers Theatre in Glencoe, Illinois; and the WMS Boathouse at Clark Park and City Hyde Park, both in Chicago. In 2016, Studio Gang was recognized as firm of the year at the Architizer A+ Awards, and Jeanne Gang was named Woman Architect of the Year by the Architectural Review. www.studiogang.com / @studiogang
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. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org. Connect with us on Twitter: @BuildingMuseum and Facebook.