Virginia Air and Space Center
Hampton, Virginia

Located in the downtown district of Hampton, the new Virginia Air and Space Center was conceived as an important new image-making structure for the City. Placed strategically between the waterfront and the renovated city’s core, the building animates and connects the surrounding district. The Center employs nautical and aviation imagery in a contemporary way, and is organized as a large glass-enclosed shed with a dynamic floating roof. The central space houses large exhibits, including suspended aircraft and space vehicles; galleries at the periphery and on the second levels have smaller-scale displays. The program also includes a lobby and museum shop, a 300-seat IMAX theater, a research library and offices. On a plaza at the water’s edge the firm designed a shed structure to house a prized historic carousel that celebrates its historic origins.