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The Statue of Liberty Museum
A pavilion that lifts the landscape it sits on, The Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation set out to create a resilient and long-lasting tribute to Lady Liberty and all she represents on Liberty Island. Working within tight site constraints,
As structural engineer, DeSimone designed an efficient hybrid structure of architectural precast panels, reinforced concrete base, and canted steel roof structure—all specifically chosen to address competing and sometimes conflicting goals.
As the design progressed through the early stages, Hurricane Sandy ravaged the surrounding NYC metropolitan area, underscoring the need for resiliency at the heart of the museum’s design.
| Client | National Park Service | Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation |
|---|---|
| Architect: | FXCollaborative |
| Size | 2 Stories | 26,000 SF (2,415 SM) |
| Sustainability | LEED Gold Certified |
| Office: | New York |
| Completion: | 2019 |
To accomplish this, we designed the main exhibition floor as a flat slab concrete structure, positioning the floor more than 10 feet above the surrounding grade and above the 500-year flood plain. The structure was thin and efficient to keep the underside of the floor structure above flood waters so that would be allowed to inundate the crawl space and then recede without damaging to the building—or any of the precious exhibition materials.
The architectural precast sandwich panels, which we selected for their ability to be manufactured offsite and transported by barge to the site, serve multiple purposes. The outer architectural shell includes vertical, striated form lines to create a textured and shadowed profile reminiscent of the nearby Palisades cliffs. The panels also provide the main lateral resistance for the building while supporting the museum and roof levels. We thickened the lower panels to resist strong impact forces from waves while allowing flood waters to freely enter and exit the site during extreme events.
The folding, landscaped roof utilizes an exposed steel structure reminiscent of Bartholdi’s original workshops. The steel follows the folding planes of the roof, naturally creating an engaging open exhibition space to immerse the museum’s 4 million annual visitors in all things Liberty.
All three materials, expertly assemble to create a dynamic, expressive form central to the visitors experience, including stunning views of the statue behind the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline.
