Freer Gallery of Art
Location: Washington, DC
Client: LendLease
Owner: Smithsonian Institution
Size: 39,039 SF
Axias Role: Cost Estimating
The Freer Gallery of Art, which opened in 1923, was the first museum of the Smithsonian Institution to be dedicated to the fine arts. The Freer and the neighboring Arthur M. Sackler Gallery together form the national museum of Asian art for the United States. The Freer also houses a collection of 19th- and early 20th-century American art.
Temperature and humidity control are crucial to the protection and preservation of irreplaceable museum collections such as these. At more than 25 years old, the building’s steam reheat and humidification system was at the end of its useful life. Failures to the duct-mounted steam heating coils and humidifiers occurred repeatedly, compromising the collections. To solve the problem and reestablish long-term system reliability, all of the steam heating coils and humidifiers are being replaced. The extent of the work requires closure of the gallery for one year and relocation of some programs.