Virtual Tour: The Smithsonian Institution’s Renwick Gallery

The Smithsonian Institution’s Renwick Gallery was modernized in 2015. The Renwick Gallery, designed by James Renwick, is considered the first purpose-built art museum in the United States. In the 1960s, the building was saved from demolition by a campaign led by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and turned over to the Smithsonian in 1972 to become its arts and crafts focused museum. The modernization was envisioned to not only upgrade aging infrastructure, but to reinvigorate its place in the community.

 

The Renwick Gallery was recognized in 2018 with an American Institute of Architect’s COTE Top 10 award. The session will include an overview of how the project addressed each of the Top 10 measures. This session will explore the design process utilized and major outcomes from the project, with a focus on resilient design themes, energy efficiency, and the intersection of historic preservation and modern technology.

 

In 2021, a new Building Energy Performance Standard for existing buildings will go into effect in Washington DC. The session will provide a summary of the standard and opportunities for the AEE community.   

Roger Chang, PE, ASHRAE Fellow, LEED Fellow, is a senior engineering leader with DLR Group (www.dlrgroup.com). Roger guided the environmental strategy for two AIA COTE Top 10 winning projects: the General Services Administration’s Wayne Aspinall Federal Building and the Smithsonian Institution’s Renwick Gallery. He was a voting member of DC’s green and energy technical advisory group and is currently leading the development of DC’s public building strategic energy masterplan for existing buildings. Roger has taught environmental design and simulation courses at the Pratt Institute School of Architecture and the Catholic University School of Architecture. He has presented on net zero energy design at a variety of conferences, including Greenbuild, ASHRAE, AIA, APT, and SCUP events. Roger is a graduate of MIT’s Building Technology program.