NATIONAL ZOO PROJECT TEAM LEAD, DESIGN DIRECTION
Experience Migration transforms the Smithsonian's National Zoo's historic 1928 Bird House and surrounding 4.5 acre plateau into an educational celebration of birds and bird migration through the Americas. This project is the Zoo's major capital renovation and is both privately and federally funded. As project team lead for the Zoo and the Zoo's owners' representative acting as liason with the larger Smithsonian Facilities office, my role is to guide our Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute team through a collaborative design process which began at the end of 2013 with research scientists, animal curators, interpretive exhibit designers and educators. Project facilitation included the development of the project name, logo, webpage (with pro bono services from Discovery Communications), educational programming, curriculum and prototyping of bird demonstrations with scientists and educators along with the more typical design development process. The project sought to honor the lush existing landscape and historical context while also developing a modernized design that creates an expansive, agile site that incorporates ample and varied gathering spaces for the range of public programming and events that a visitorship of 2.6 million annually demands.
The project maintains a goal to become an exemplary design for modern bird friendly architecture and landscape by incorporating a bird and pollinator friendly plant palette and fritted glazing throughout the architecture.
The movement of billions of birds crisscrossing the globe instills wonder and inspires people to make connections between the lands that birds traverse so freely. We are building a venue where people can visit, learn, and wonder about bird migration from a variety of scales which include walk-thru aviaries and up-close bird-in-hand experiences, reflecting the National Zoo's mission of exhibition, husbandry excellence and scientific leadership.
The project was commended and approved by the Smithsonian's three external reviewing agencies; National Capital Planning Commission, Commission of Fine Arts and DC State Historic Preservation Office. The project is on target to achieve LEED Gold.
Total project budget: Federal $50 Million (separate management team) / Trust $10.43 Million (directly responsible for managing)
Design Team: Quinn Evans Architects MIG/Portico Landscape Architect Interpretive Exhibit Design Available Light Lighting McMullan & Associates, Inc. Structural Akustiks Acoustics
Renderings by Quinn Evans and MIG/Portico
https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/exhibits/experience-migration
https://nationalzoo.si.edu/news/smithsonians-national-zoo-build-experience-migration-exhibition-dedicated-migratory-birds
