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James Corner Field Operations' "ICEBERGS" exhibit opens at the National Building Museum

Beach Sequel

James Corner Field Operations' "ICEBERGS" exhibit opens at the National Building Museum

 

A new installation at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. gives visitors an icy antidote to the city’s hot summer temperatures, which are expected to surge up to 100 degrees. Dubbed ICEBERGS, the exhibit lets visitors explore an underwater world of snow and ice.

The exhibit, designed by the landscape architecture firm James Corner Field Operations, consists of “icebergs” made from reusable construction materials and a 50-foot “water line” topped by an airy outpost above. The total space of the exhibition is over 12,000 square feet. In addition to exploring icebergs and caves, guests can try a Japanese shaved ice snack called kakigori courtesy of Daikaya restaurant.

Last summer the National Building Museum exhibited the Snarkitecture-designed THE BEACH, which featured a massive ball pit that encouraged visitors young and old to go play. THE BEACH also had a 50-foot “shoreline” with umbrellas and beach chairs, and a mirrored wall that made the sea of close to 1 million translucent plastic balls seem to go on forever.

This glacial, underwater world contrasts with the hot, sticky Washington DC summer, but it’s also a reminder of climate change. “Such a world is both beautiful and ominous,” said James Corner Field Operations’ founder and director James Corner, “given our current epoch of climate change, ice-melt, and rising seas.” Learn more about the exhibit here.




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