Architects

Voorsanger Mathes LLC

Location
945 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States
Architects
Voorsanger Architects PC, New York, NY
Design Principal
Bartholomew Voorsanger
Lead Design
Martin Stigsgaard, Masayuki Sono
Design Team
Peter Miller, James Macdonald, Radoslaw Krysztofiak,Andrea Wiedemann,
Mark Wagner, Reema Pathak, Van Hsin-Hung Tsao, Issei Suma, Won Jun Jung,
Anastasiya Konopitskaya
Associate Architect
Mathes Brierre Architects, New Orleans, LA
Project Team
Peter Priola, Tony Alfortish, Nichole Chauvin, Scott Evans, C. H. Palm Jr., Frank
Herdliska, Joyce Bergman, Johannah Fernandez, Vivien Yu, Vicki Cusimano,
Robert Swan, Jim Opitz
Exhibition Design
Gallagher & Associates
Museum Consultant
Peggy A. Loar
Additional Competition Staf
Chieko Takahashi, Yoonkee Hong, Sabrina Schollmeyer, Victor Viera, Omar
Renteria
Structural Engineer
Weidlinger Associates, Inc.
Mep Engineer
Altieri Sebor Wieber LLC
Landscape Architect
Olin Partnership
Owner/Client
The National World War II Museum Foundation, Inc.
Co Chairman
Edward C. Mathes
Area
284000.0 ft2

From the architect. The National World War II Museum is a multi-phase project
located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The US Congress mandated that the museum

stands as tribute to all who made the campaigns in Europe, Africa and the Pacific
theaters successful. The location was selected because it was New Orleans that
Andrew Higgins built the landing craft used in the amphibious invasions; the landing
craft which President Eisenhower believed was one of the five key inventions that
helped us win the war for the Allies.
The Museum will afford visitors the ability to view over 92,000sf of interactive and
interpretative exhibits with a completed size of 284,000sf. To facilitate the visitor
experience, we propose that their journey be guided through a series of "Pavilions"
along a continuous route. This experiential path takes each patron through the
various pavilions and their exhibits as well as transverses the central green space
entitled the "Parade Ground & Landscape of War". To assist in providing visual
continuity and weather protection, we propose a floating canopy to unify the
individual elements with an urban scale, recognizable image signifying a national
museum.
The Pavilion strategy which interweaves architecture with landscape also enables
"Phasing" of expansion process which results in economic and programmatic
flexibility. Uniquely defined contents and their design identities reflected on each
Pavilions provide enhanced naming opportunities throughout the Museums
fundraising campaigns. The Pavilion system also proved extremely effective under
the Post-Katrina redesign process where fundamental master plan strategies and
scopes were revised.
The Phase I which has been completed includes 4-D Theater, Performance Hall,
Executive Offices, Retail and Restaurant. It presents the stories to an international
audience, preserves material for research and inspires future generations to apply
the lessons learned from the most complex military operation ever staged.
Subsequent phases of the museum are currently under construction and scheduled
to be completed in coming few years.
The Phase I completes east section of the master plan with the Theater Pavilion at
north corner connecting new elements to the surrounding urban fabric, existing
Louisiana Memorial Pavilion and future facilities. The layout and geometry are
generated for optimal performance within the overall master plan program and
massing. Large scale precast concrete with interlocking geometries cover the
external street faades. In contrast, through extensive use of glazing and metal
panels, the faade facing internal court (Parade Ground) is transparent and
lightweight. The quadruple height lobby creates spatial gravity point with balconies
integrated as an architectural promenade that travels inside as well as outside. The
expansion of Phase I made the Museum the most visited destination in the city of
New Orleans.