Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Icebergs at the National Building Museum

I decided to go and see this exhibit at the National Building Museum today. Turns out they have Ward days where people who live in Wards in DC can get in for free. Turned out it was Ward 5 day and I got in for free.

Here's more on Icebergs:
Visit ICEBERGS in the Museum's Great Hall. Designed by James Corner Field Operations, the installation opens as part of the annual Summer Block Party series, July 2 - September 5.
Visitors will:
  • Explore a fantastical glacial sea designed by landscape architects
  • Ascend to a viewing area inside the tallest berg
  • Traverse an undersea bridge or slide down an ice chute
  • Try Japanese kakigori shaved ice provided by the restaurant Daikaya
  • Learn about how design can transform spaces and lives
ICEBERGS is built from re-usable construction materials, such as scaffolding and polycarbonate paneling. The 20' high "water line" allows panoramic views from high above the ocean surface and down below among the towering bergs. The tallest “bergy bit,” at 56', reaches to the third story balcony of the Museum.
It was really a great exhibit. I enjoyed the slide (even though I didn't go down it) and the iceberg "pillows" at the end of the exhibit.

A very enjoyable part of a big museum day for me.






A Look at Icebergs






More from Icebergs






The Iceberg Slide

Getting ready to go down the slide






The Mini-Iceberg Pillows


The pillows turned out to be very comfortable. I sat on one for a while and watched everyone enjoy themselves.







Icebergs Above the Waterline



The exhibits puts you underneath water and you see the largest parts of the icebergs. There's an observation iceberg that gives you an above water view.







Icebergs from Afar



A look at Icebergs from the second level of the Building Museum.







Play Work Build



As the Building Museum website describes this exhibit:
Only at the National Building Museum can the concepts of PLAY, WORK, and BUILD be combined to create a new exhibition that will enthrall kids and adults alike. Conceived in partnership with the internationally renowned design firm the Rockwell Group, this exhibition combines a presentation of the Museum's world-class Architectural Toy Collection, a hands-on block play area, and an original digital interactive that allows visitors to fill an entire wall of the exhibition with virtual blocks—and then knock them down.







A Master Builder at the Building Museum



This guy (the kid in the white t-shirt lower right in the above picture) was so into building something with these blocks.






This guy seems happy to sit in the ruins.