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CulturalDC “was thinking about the notion of bringing all the
art into the wards,” said associate principal Erin Carlisle, AIA.
“This completely dovetails with what STUDIOS does best. …[A]
lot of STUDIOS work is mission-driven design.” A team of six
designers at the firm took the project on, working nights and
weekends on a compressed schedule in summer 2017 to complete
the project for its October debut at Yards Park, in Ward 6.
To enable easy transport, a standard 40-foot-long steel shipping
container was chosen as the chassis for the design. Developer
Forest City offered space at its Yards project for the team to build
the container and mount its first exhibit. Monarc Construction
offered in-kind labor and materials. The design and construction
team then began the process of transforming this featureless box
into a fully functional art gallery that can operate off the grid.
Doors and windows were cut into the structure to provide a
main entrance at one end of the container, a secondary exit at the
other end, and a view to the outside from the future reception
area. Then, metal framing tubes were affixed to the container and
the entire structure was painted a vibrant shade of blue. Energy-
efficient strip LED lights were installed to provide backlighting for
the design’s showstopper: a second skin of custom perforated
metal panels.
“The big driver with the perforations was to allow the container
to glow,” said Carlisle. The parallelogram-shaped panels—patterned
with the DC city outline on one side of the container and
CulturalDC’s logo on the other—received a dark gray powder-coat
finish, contrasting with the blue paint behind during the day and
enhancing the backlit effect at night.
The roof is outfitted with a solar panel system, donated by
Washington Gas and Light, that feeds a 1,300-pound battery system
housed in the back of the unit. The gallery can also connect to any
nearby electrical supply for backup power. “It really created a
flexible system,” said Kristi Maiselman, director of brand innovation
and engagement at CulturalDC. “When we go to a new site we
don’t know what resources we’ll have. The system can plug into
electric, run off a generator, or solar.”
The interior is intentionally spare in design to provide a neutral
backdrop for installations. Four solar tubes punched through the
roof allow daylight in from above; this is supplemented by flush-
mounted track lighting to illuminate the display walls.
While STUDIOS doesn’t have an official pro bono program,
its staff members are encouraged to follow their passions and take
advantage of the firm’s resources to give back to their communities.
The team “work[ed] hard after hours and on weekends to provide
design services...procure materials, and coordinate with the
contractor,” said Carlisle. “The CulturalDC team was out there
with us painting and screwing in the panels.”
So far, the gallery has hosted more than 40,000 visitors and
has been installed at Yards Park, the National Zoo, and Union
Market. Each exhibit kicks off with a community opening party;
community engagement continues throughout each exhibit with
hands-on artist workshops open to the public. “Not only do
[community members] get to see art,” CulturalDC’s Hilton said,
“but they get to participate and create art.”

Photo © Tony Hitchcock

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