National Building Museum
 

World Architecture Day

Date:
Monday, October 1, 2018
Time:
11:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Monday, October 1 is World Architecture Day, which marks the 70th anniversary of the Union of International Architects. Celebrate architecture with activities at two iconic D.C. buildings: the National Building Museum and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Drop into either or both museums for tours, talks, activities, and more.

World Architecture Day will also be celebrated on Sunday, September 30.

Free cakepops by Baked by Yael at the National Building Museum while supplies last on September 30 and October 1.
baked by yael.png

10 am–5 pm
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (Independence Ave and 7th St)
The Hirshhorn’s social, humanoid robot, Pepper, will be available in the lobby to discuss the building’s architectural history.

10 am–5:30 pm
Hirshhorn
Visitors can take a self-guided architecture tour using Hirshhorn Eye, the museum’s new instant mobile art guide, to learn more about the Hirshhorn building, the newly redesigned Hiroshi Sugimoto lobby, and select works on view directly from artists who made them all from the comfort of their own mobile device.

10 am–5 pm
National Building Museum (401 F St NW)
Free cakepops by Baked by Yael. Available while supplies last.

10 am
Hirshhorn
Story time
A special edition of CUENTA-CUENTOS: STORYTIME in Spanish, the museum’s youngest visitors are invited to explore architecture through a read-aloud of Pedro Perfecto, Arquitecto and a hands-on building activity.

11 am 
National Buildng Museum
Story time with DC Public Library

11–11:30 am
National Building Museum
Collections Tour
Meet at the information desk
Limited to 10. Take a behind the scenes tour of some of the Museum’s collection, which includes 100,000 photographic images and negatives, 130,000 architectural prints and drawings, 100 linear feet of documents, and over 20,000 objects, including material samples, building fragments, and architectural toys.

11 am
National Building Museum
Story time
Meet at the information desk 
Explore reading, books, and architecture with a DC Public Librarian. Children and caregivers are encouraged to actively engage and participate during this program full of reading, songs, and activities designed to promote language, literacy skills, and lifelong love of reading and learning.

12:30–1 pm
National Building Museum
Collections Tour
Meet at the information desk
Limited to 10. Take a behind the scenes tour of some of the Museum’s collection, which includes 100,000 photographic images and negatives, 130,000 architectural prints and drawings, 100 linear feet of documents, and over 20,000 objects, including material samples, building fragments, and architectural toys.

12:30 pm
Hirshhorn
Talk: Hirshhorn History
Join Sharon Park, the Smithsonian’s associate director of architectural history and historic preservation, for a lunchtime talk on the plaza exploring the History of the Hirshhorn.

2 pm
Hirshhorn
With Hirshhorn/DRAW, visitors are invited to explore the architecture of Huang Yong Ping’s “Abbottabad” through the lens of pencil on paper. Graphite pencils and paper welcome. No wet materials will be allowed in the galleries.

2:30 pm
National Building Museum
Discovery Cart: Arches and Trusses
Discovery Carts are interactive programs led by trained docents and provide hands-on explanation of building materials and methods. Discovery Cart programs last 30-45 minutes and are held in the Great Hall, and can host up to 25 people per cart.

3–4:30 pm
Walking Tour
Meet in the Hirshhorn lobby
Join the National Building Museum senior curator G. Martin Moeller, Jr. on a lively walking tour of "buildings with holes in them", between the Hirshhorn Museum and the National Building Museum. The tour begins at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden’s courtyard and concludes in the National Building Museum’s Great Hall.

3:30 pm
Hirshhorn
Art and Architecture Tour
Meet in the Hirshhorn lobby
A Hirshhorn Gallery Guide will lead a tour of works on view to discover the surprising and innovative ways that art and architecture can be linked.

5 pm
Hirshhorn
Talk: The Stewardship of Permanence
Meet in the Hirshhorn lobby
Smithsonian Architect Andrew Scott and FAA Strategic Sustainment Manager Greg Rea come together to discuss “the Stewardship of Permanence,” a cross-discipline initiative focusing on the challenges and considerations that should be addressed when building facilities intended to last for many generations, like museums, monuments, and civic buildings.

This event does not require an RSVP. Registered users can request event reminders.
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