The National Museum opened it past september on the National Mall. A few days earl American History tv spoke with key members of the design team, responsible for the look and feel of the newest museum. Well hear what inspired the distinctive shape and about the ideas behind the history galleries. In about 20 minutes, well show the opening ceremony, including talks about president obama and george w. Bush, and performances be denise graves and stevie wonder. Hi, im the lead designer of the National Meal seem of africanAmerican Museum of culture. We well see when you come to the building. What feeling did you have this feeling would quan . I hope it would give a sense of uplift, but also being connected to this very unique location on the washington mall, on the nations capital, one which should give you a sense of intrigue, one to explore the extraordinary exhibits that are on show here, one that would give you a fantastic overview. At the top of this building you have this fantastic panoramic window. You have an International Background. Can you tell us about that and how that informed your work on this very American Museum . I am of ghanian parents, born in the short of the continent, as a teenager you grew up in london and started my practice about 20 years ago. We have worked all over the world and some noted projects are the Nobel Peace Center in oslo, but local Community Projects like schools and education environments, building buildings even before this competition of library, et cetera. Housing in new york, but when we were asked to join the competition, it was an extraordinary moment that we were thrilled to be a part of, but we felt it was such a complicated project we wanted to to deliver the best that we could for such an important project. What perspective do you think your International Background and work has brought to this museum . I think its given an ability to could you and and to also the modernity, i think the struggles of the Africanamerican Community reflect the aspirations of the entire black Community Around the world. Its a narrative thats a shared narrative. I understand if the Exterior Design was your inspiration. Where did that come from . Inspiration was really from understanding the Africanamerican Community come from the central and west of africa, and in the central and west of africa theres an extraordinary position, that creates these incredible structures. I felt that it would be prudent to take to make a reference. Ed are the idea that it was an important reference, inspirati inspiration, but also the work of africanamerican craftsmen in the south, the metalworkers who were extraordinary, who built some of the most beautiful houses in the south, and the incriminal metalwork which is a signature of american architecture around the world, was build a lot by slaves. When you come close to the building, you see this incredible detail, which is about that language. In those motifs, are they evident off exterior plantation houses . Yes. You will see the ironwork, which is about acanthus leaves wrapping into grids of iron. Youre seeing our mapping using a Computer Technology to describe, did i it is its a drawing of how ornament is made, which is represented on this building. Were standing in the Oprah Winfrey theater. Yes. The design here is an echo of that design. Can you explain how . Its exactly the same pattern, but we have reduced it in scale. We want you to feel youre in the heart of the building, whereas in the outside, its an object. In the independence side you are the center and the building surrounds you. The porch element to the museum is significant. Can you it el us why . Yes, we wanted very much on the south side of the mall to create a real welcome. The welcome of the south, living inside outside, but living under shade, we felt was important idea that we wanted to find a translation of. It basically creates a microclimate, when youre on a hot summer day, you can come to the welcome of shade before you carry on your journey, and that cooling effect and breezes are really enhanced by the porch and water reflecting pool. Tell us about the water element and the symbolism. Water i think like wood, is a very important material foundational material for the community, water in the sense that the journey across the atlantic was about a journey ace cross the a vast body, but labor in the south, irrigation and water was very much a part of the coastal nature. Its something that the a cannot move away from. And also Martin Luther king even in hits words expressed water being the justice, the sort of the the sort of the justice of water as a cleansen spiritual element. I was have i inspired and wanted to use that as part of the reflection in the building. When you look any special room, you will see that in full effect. We are actually sitting on the Washington Monument grounds, we refer to it as a knuckle position. So i would say probably one of the most critical points in the development of the Washington Monument grounds, and of course it created i think some controversy being on this particular site, and in the end i think it turned out well, and probably is the right place for this particular museum, particularly at this time of our history. Reporter why do you think its the right place . Well, i think this meal assume, em hoping, once it opens in another ten days, will be a healing element for this country and maybe even the world, particularly at this time, because of what we are going through as a nation, internationally as well,s struggles that are going on between races, ethnic been issues. Im hoping this would be a real learning experience and education for the people who come here, and can see that we need to heal ourselves, and we need to be more than just separate individuals or separate people. There are a lot of white marble buildings on the mall, and out the windows of this museum you can even see the white house. Tell us about the design of the exterior of the museums. What does it mean . Well, first of all, ill back up to when we did the competition for this particular building. Which we were fortunate to win, our team. At that time we actually had 60 of the building above ground, but we went through all of the review agencies here in town, which probably was more my role on this project, because im the washington log architect ive been able to be in a position to work with most of the agencies in that time. In that review process, tuz made clear the footprint of having 60 of the building above ground was too much for the Washington Monument grounds. These asked you to reverse shah which re resigned into the final decision that has only 40 above ground and 60 below ground. In that competition we had as part of the inspiration of the design, the idea of for the design the idea of a corona, or crown. And that comes from a column that was developed in the west african culture of a community there was which was the artistic west african community. Theres actually in on this floor a column which is the column which was the inspiration for this and if you were to look at it you would see a threetiered crown sitting on top of that column. It was carved in wood, but that was the First Inspiration for the corona for this particular building. And as we moved 60 below ground and put 40 above ground, it allowed us then to put three levels back into the corona which, in the competition, we only had two levels of the corona which i think was good the other portion of this which was inspirational to the idea of having the Monument Grounds coming all the way through is that the entire base of the building was glass. And that is to make sure that you feel like the Washington Monument grounds continues right through the building and all the way over to 14th and constitution. So there are these great four pillars that really contain the structure and the core of the museum. Everything else is supported from that so when you look to the outside and you see this wonderful corona and the structure that is there its basically coming off the top of the building through a vertical truss all the way down to the bottom, supporting these horizontal trusses that you see here. And to that was then clad the corona panels of which there are 3,600 corona panels. And what do you mean by the corona panels . Well, if you were to look to the outside, each of those panels is roughly three feet by five feet and the design was inspired by wrought iron work done by slaves in charleston and new orleans, lonnie the bunbunc think had the idea that if we took the thanls that were done in that wrought iron, connected certain points, came up with this, if you will, modern derivation of that wrought iron panel. So each one of those has that same feel to it and then they move back and forth. There is a different poresity depending on where you are in if building and some have more transparency than others so we go anywhere from 65 solid to 95 solid but wherever theres an opportunity for review, for you to connect to exterior and feel a part of the context of the Washington Monument grounds and the mall, lincoln, ellipse, white house, jefferson memorial, the capital at the other end, national archives, all of those are grounding points to establish the context for the museum so there is a visual connection made to each of those. Theres a window over here that looks to the white house. This long window is looking at the Washington Monument grounds. To give you the context of the Lincoln Memorial and also world war ii memorial and, of course, the Washington Monument. And then as you move around youll see various other view points. You grew up in the segregated south. I did. Where did you grow up . I grew up in memphis and lived there until i went away to college, actually. It was a time in the i would say the 50s and 60s that there was a great deal of change and i grew up, went to school in segregated schools. I went to you would go to a Department Store and as a young person you arent afraid to ask questions, of course, of your parents and i would say, so, tell me, why is there a colored restroom . Why is there a white restroom . Why are a these sign there is for colored water fountain and white water fountain . And i was just told thats the way it is and i said but why . I mean arent we all people . We just have different color skins. But i do not go to school at that time with any africanamerican or really much in the way of other ethnic groups. Thats, of course, greatly changed, much to my delight. I actually went to undergraduate school at Clemson University and the reason i went there for Architecture School was because they were one of the first to admit an africanamerican into the architecture program. A fellow by the name of harvey gant who graduated, became an established wellknown architect and also became the by a your of North Carolina in charlotte so its been a wonderful experience for me personally to see the change that has happened. When i first worked with the native american community, we did the Cultural Resource center for the smithsonian and then the National Mall museum. Over 12 years you learn a lot about a culture that is different than yours and im hoping that will be the case when people come to this museum. We have all learned definitely Something Different by being involved in this museum and im hoping it will have the same change effect on the people that visit. Robert anderson, where are we standing . Were standing 30 feet below grade in the africanAmerican History and Culture Museum in the history gallery. What are the history galleries . The history gallery is a collection of 50,000 square foot galleries on three Different Levels within the museum. We had actually to excavate down 75 feet to get to the lowest floor within the museum so what youre seeing is a chronological sequence of galleries that basically tell the story of africanAmerican History from the Middle Passage all the way up through modern times as you ascend upwards through the building. What Design Elements will visitors find here . I think a lot of it is in the lower spaces here one of the things youll notice is how the space is kind of expand and contract. Inside the mezzanine levels, the ceilings are around nine and a half feet so you get a very intimate relationship with the more case work pieces that you see in the lower levels whereas if you step out into the main chamber youre experiencing the 65foot roof. So i think theres an interesting dichotomy of space within the history galleries. Your company is part of the design team that was involved in the construction. Thats correct. Tell us a little bit about the chronology that brings you here today. Well, our firm, along with the freelong group out of North Carolina, by the time the museum opens next week, we will have worked on the project for close to 10 years. Max vaughan, who is the dean of africanamerican architects, late partner who passed away during the competition. He and phil freelong out of North Carolina, they had authored the predesign and programming studies two years prior to when the competition was announced. The project was competition phased for about a year in 2008, i think it was. And our firm along with david adjaj associates, the freelong group and the smith group came up with the team that won. So you see 400,000 square feet of museum where 60 of the building is below grade. Now one of the things youll notice about the competition scheme, that relationship was inverted to complete the city block but as we started to study the options in the building we founded the a much more intimate relationship with the Monument Grounds by pushing more of the program below grade and functionally it makes sense, history galleries dont want Natural Light nor does theater or changing galleries so its an interesting relationship top to bottom you see through the building. Museum director lonnie bunch has talked about the mall as being americas front yard so keeping that in fimind, what wa behind your conception of the history galleries and how it connects not only to the mall but the Exterior Design of the building . Well, the main thing that you see is the aree yum. The reason thats positioned on the north side of the building is we can physically accept light. So its nice to see that light wash down into the chamber and as you move lower and lower in the building youre going further and further back in time. So i think thats one of the unique sequences through the building is this ascension into the light and the thematic and story of the museum follows much of that. Tell us about the symbolism that we see here in these galleries and behind the narratives that are told. Well, the narratives well have to give credit to Ralph Appelbaum and associates, they were the exhibit designers. Our job was for the basebuilding package within the history gallery which describes the volumes. Some of the more interesting pieces that you see, like the pullman train car, thats a segregated rail car, we had to help go down thereunder there and catalog it to understand how to put simple things in it like sprinklers, electricity, mechanical systems within it so there are certain pieces that had to go into the building before the roof was on. That was very critical to the completion of the project and when you figure 60 is below grade, it was a race getting it up to ground level so we can move upwards. What do you hope visitors are going to take away from these history galleries . You know, we get this question a lot and often in comparison to the 9 11 museum which our firm designed in new york city and i think the thing that this museum benefits from is the advantage of time. 9 11 museum is a story thats been told over 15 years, where we have centuries to discuss here and i think its a very good barometer for how were doing as a society. Theres a snapshot of that history