National Nordic Museum

This brand new, 53,000-square-foot structure was built to relocate the National Nordic Museum’s ever-expanding temporary and permanent exhibits from its leased space in an old school building to a larger, more accessible location.

4EA worked with architect Mithun to develop a highly efficient exterior skin for this building. The enclosure features include a mix of zinc panels and high density, through-color fiber cement rainscreens on angular walls. Aluminum-framed curtain walls and storefront systems give the exterior a sleek, modern look encapsulated by large bent metal shrouds. The low glazing ratio and simple massing provided the design team an opportunity to Simplify It—large expanses of continuous insulation attached via long screws allow for a well-insulated shell and a building that is 58% more airtight than required by code.

For this project, 4EA provided design review, construction administration, and testing services related to environmental separation and overall building enclosure performance. It is LEED Gold certified.

Photos © Bruce Diamonte.

• Cultural & Civic