PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Museum of the American Revolution was constructed on the site of the former National Historical Park Visitor Center at Third and Chestnut Streets. The Museum houses artifacts, manuscripts, works of art, and objects from the period of the American Revolution, and tells the complete story of our nation’s independence. The building includes permanent and special exhibition galleries, theaters, education spaces, collection storage areas, a café, and a gift shop.

The Museum is located just steps from Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was adopted; Carpenter’s Hall, where the First Continental Congress met; Franklin Court, Benjamin Franklin’s home; and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the Revolution. The Museum of the American Revolution sparks interest in Philadelphia’s many historic sites, providing context, and encouraging explorations to the millions of visitors from around the world who travel to this historic neighborhood to learn about the birth of America.

RAMSA’s design organizes the Museum around a skylit central interior atrium. The ground floor accommodates a multi-use theater and a changing exhibition gallery. Within the atrium a grand elliptical stair takes visitors up to 18,000 square feet of galleries and a theater dedicated to the exhibition of George Washington's war tent, one of the Museum's most dramatic holdings. The building provides state-of-the-art storage and conservation spaces and follows best practices for sustainable museum design to achieve LEED Gold certification.

PRECAST SOLUTION

“With the Museum of the American Revolution project, architectural precast concrete not only offered design flexibility for architectural expression, but it also contributes to the durability, sustainability, energy efficiency and safety of the building. At the same time, the plasticity of precast concrete allowed us to achieve a high level of design detail and character for the building that couldn’t be matched by other materials due to cost.” -Bill Hydock, Preconstruction Manager, Universal Concrete Products

For many projects, particularly the museum project, the use of precast panels over conventional masonry also contributes to the speed of construction. Hand-laid materials typically require scaffolding and bracing for installation and project completion. Because of the recessed arches on the museum exterior, an even longer amount of time would have been required to complete hand-laid stonework. Precast panels allowed the work to be done much more efficiently without the need for scaffolding and bracing.

“Simply put, using precast concrete allowed this project to run more efficiently. It was a small site to work within. The less construction elements you need to get the project done – especially on a small site – the faster the job will get completed. That was certainly the case with the museum project. And working very early on and in a collaborative fashion with the owner, architect and engineer helped make this project a great success.”

Architect

Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA)

Engineer

Keast & Hood

Owner

Museum of the American Revolution

Contractor

INTECH Construction

Precaster

Universal Concrete Products

Transportation Partner

Summers Trucking

Key Project Attributes

• The structure is 3 stories above ground with a full basement. It is 118,000 square feet, of which 32,000 holds exhibits and interpretive spaces. The 3rd floor is primarily used for events, and includes terraces overlooking Philadelphia's historic district and Independence Hall.
• The project was originally designed as hand-laid brick and limestone, which was very costly. In order to stay within budget, the designer decided on brick- and limestone-faced precast on a steel frame. The result is an aesthetic that joins new and old, at a more affordable price. Additionally, site disturbance was minimized due to precast concrete being manufactured off-site and delivered just in time.

Project/Precast Scope

• Universal Concrete Products erected approximately 320 architectural precast wall panels for the exterior of the museum, totaling 50,500 square feet. The panels are brick and limestone clad
• Features of the building’s exterior include several large recessed, brick arches and unique. limestone cornices and accents. Precast was essential in meeting the project schedule.
• Because of the size and ornate nature of the limestone cornices, Universal had to use specialized pin connections that could support the weight of the large cornices, which were also precast.