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The State of New Jersey desired to place a new museum close to the Delaware River where the site of Washington’s crossing, its most powerful artifact, would be visible to visitors. Setting the museum in an historic and ecologically sensitive site near the river required a thoughtful solution to minimize its mass and presence in the delicate historic landscape. Inspired by the gently sloping topography along the river’s edge, the concept is a biophilic response that integrates the museum’s structure with landforms, green roofs, and sloping pathways, thereby obscuring it within the landscape and allowing it to comfortably coexist with the adjacent 18th century agrarian buildings that surround it. It is an eco-compatible blend of built form and landscape.
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Made of cast-in-place concrete with exposed regional Delaware Valley stone aggregate, the curving exterior walls of the museum follow and retain the curvature of the slope that it is built into, minimizing its presence, and complementing the pre-revolutionary-era stone buildings that surround the site. A sloping vegetative roof planted with native pollinators and meadow grasses seasonally blends the building with adjacent fields that remain much the same as they did 250 years ago. A winding pedestrian pathway that leads to the river starts at parking and gently ascends onto the building’s vegetative roof culminating in panoramic views of the Delaware River from the roof terrace and continuing down to the river’s edge.
This all-electric facility incorporates sustainable features into the architectural expression including vegetative roofs to mitigate storm water, a high-performance building envelope to reduce heating and cooling loads, natural daylighting, and regionally sourced resilient materials of concrete and stone. The project has been awarded the 2023 Society of American Registered Architects National Design Award.
The Washington Crossing Visitor Center and Museum provides breathtaking and accessible views of the site of the crossing, easy access to historically important buildings in the park, and space for the 1921 George Harding mural of Washington Crossing the Delaware. Boasting a variety of sustainable features, the facility is built into the landscape, allowing it to exist harmoniously with the neighboring historic structures. Internally, the orientation theater and exhibition hall present interactive displays and 18th century artifacts surrounding the events of the crossing and following ten crucial days of the American Revolution. The program also includes a flexible welcome gallery, offices, a conservation prep space, and an outdoor amphitheater/classroom for tour groups and school trips.
“In time for the 250th anniversary of the historic crossing, the new museum and visitor center masterfully integrates the building into the historic landscape finally giving visitors visual and physical access to the site of the historic crossing on Christmas Day 1776.” - Mr. Larry Tutela, Project Executive, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Historic Sites
ikon.5 architects work is rooted in our belief that architecture is storytelling in built form and landscape. Architecture tells the story of the values of a particular people in its place and time. Like poetry and prose, architecture relies on metaphors to convey an expression that is lasting and timeless. Our solutions reflect the regional traditions in which we build and seek a timeless expression that eloquently reflects our client’s stories. Our work is a-stylistic, with no preordained aesthetic expression, and inspired by thoughtful, economic, and sustainable solutions that are meaningful to those who experience our buildings. Our work is united in its commitment to design excellence, social impact, and environmental responsiveness. We believe there is an opportunity for design excellence in all projects, irrespective of size and budget. Our 28-person practice based in New York City makes artistic works to explore ideas rooted in the ethos and heritage of the places we work.
