The Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC, has selected SOM and Selldorf to revitalize the museum.

The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., has announced that the building's interior and plaza are set to be modernized by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Selldorf Architects.

The project is the largest of its kind for the Hirshhorn since the building's completion in 1974. Therefore, it is only fitting that SOM - the firm that designed the distinctive, doughnut-shaped building (under partner Gordon Bunshaft) - is involved in the project. The firm will be collaborating with Annabelle Selldorf, whose firm has become known for galleries and art institutions in recent years.

The Smithsonian museum is expecting a 40% increase in attendance over the next five years and has thus included upgrading galleries and public spaces as part of its modernization plan. Additionally, they will be addressing ageing infrastructure, fine art storage, vertical transportation, and stormwater management.

SOM | Selldorf was selected as the joint collaboration for the project following a competitive process put on by the Smithsonian and the Hirshhorn. Next year, they are expected to submit a visioning document in anticipation of their concept design. As stated in a press release, "The concept design will be subject to a public consultation process."

The process of redesigning the museum's sculpture garden remains controversial, as it was when the concrete building was first unveiled on the National Mall nearly 50 years ago, or when Hiroshi Sugimoto's design for the garden met strong opposition over the proposed changes to the landscape designed by Lester Collins in the early 1980s.

At this stage in the Selldorf | SOM project, it's too early to know any details about the team's approach to modernization. However, the most important thing now is that the appointment is the first step in the last part of a three-phase upgrade to the museum. The first phase was the repair of the facade, which has already been completed. The second phase is the sculpture garden, which gained approval late last year and is set to start construction in spring 2023. The garden will reopen a connection to the museum underground, as originally designed by Bunshaft, and this will in turn strengthen the Hirshhorn's connection to the Mall. Most likely, this will lead to even higher attendance numbers at the museum.