DOS Visitor Center and Museum of Diplomacy

overview

The first museum in the United States dedicated to telling the stories of American diplomacy, the Department of State (DOS) Visitor Center and Museum of Diplomacy is located at the 21st Street entrance to the Harry S Truman Building in Washington, D.C., where the U.S. Department of State is headquartered. 

We provided structural design services to Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners for approximately 41,400 square feet of space adjacent to and within the Truman Building's George C. Marshall Wing. The project included a welcoming security pavilion with high ceilings and all-glass facades that was constructed within the existing forecourt. The pavilion is a one-story above-grade structure with one basement level supported by structural steel. 

highlights

• The security pavilion was designed to resist gravity, wind and seismic loads per IBC 2009, as directed by the General Services Administration.
• Roofs are supported by wide-flange beams and girders, with hollow structural steel sections as intermediate members for a custom-fabricated steel curtain-wall system.
• The pavilion’s roof framing consists of long spans up to a maximum of 120 feet.
• To minimize possible disturbances to the existing State Department’s building structure and to minimize construction-related vibration and noise, caisson foundations bearing on bedrock were used to support the pavilion.