The Newseum

This 550,000 square feet, mixed use project is composed of a highly progressive museum, class "A" offices, upscale residences, retail spaces, below grade parking, a conference center with an outdoor terrace, two restaurants and visitor services center. The Newseum offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. The Newseum is comprised of seven levels of galleries and theaters that feature state-of-the-art, interactive exhibits. The building includes technologically advanced black box broadcasting facilities, a 500 seat "4D" auditorium, a museum store and a "news cafe" with stunning views of the Capitol. In addition to its technological breakthroughs, the facility is exceptional in its architecture and its construction. The building's shape resembles a newspaper with three sections, each slightly taller than the one before it. Just as a reader discovers more by turning the pages, each layer of the museum reveals another aspect of journalism. The most prominent elements are the 74-foot-high Tennessee pink marble engraving, touting the 45 words of the First Amendment, and the immense front glass curtain wall representing the transparency of the press. The building contains almost every conceivable structural system, in steel and concrete, including a dramatic, 70-foot-tall bent column monumental stair. There are 24 structural systems and 11 exterior wall systems--with 12 types of glass.

Owner: The Freedom Forum
Architect: Polshek Partnership Architects
Contract Value: $450M
Square Footage: 550,000