The National Mall in Washington, D.C., long a symbolically charged space for public memory and identity, is set to welcome two new major installations this fall amid ongoing debates over design, preservation, and national narrative.
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, part of the Smithsonian Institution and dedicated to modern and contemporary art, will open a $68 million redesign on October 31. The renovation, led by Japanese artist and architect Hiroshi Sugimoto, aims to deepen visitor engagement by expanding the garden’s connection to the Mall from 20 to 60 feet and reopening an underground passage previously closed since the 1980s. The redesign replaces original concrete walls with dry-stacked stone and introduces new overlooks, shade trees, and outdoor performance spaces. The project has sparked controversy, with preservation groups expressing concern that the changes could erase the contributions of landscape architect Lester Collins, whose work shaped the garden’s layout during an update completed in 1981. Sugimoto’s vision includes new sculptures by artists such as Izumi Kato, Pedro Reyes, and Chatchai Puipia, softening the garden’s formerly stark aesthetic and enhancing harmony between art and environment.
Less than two miles west of the Hirshhorn, near the Lincoln Memorial, the Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial is scheduled to open on October 24. Designed by the landscape architecture firm Olin, working from an initial concept by CSO Architects, the two-acre site honors U.S. military efforts during the 1990 buildup to protect Saudi Arabia and the subsequent 100-hour campaign in early 1991 that liberated Kuwait from Iraqi occupation. The memorial features a spiral path flanked by angled stone walls evocative of desert dunes, which serve as a backdrop for a series of bas-relief combat scenes. Veterans have praised the memorial for recognizing an operation viewed as restoring public confidence in the U.S. military following the Vietnam War. However, some commentators have questioned the focus on a relatively brief conflict, suggesting the limited scope obscures the complexities of subsequent Middle East engagements.
Both projects underscore the enduring tensions over how design shapes collective memory on the National Mall, where infrastructure improvements like the recent Reflecting Pool repairs have also drawn attention. Each memorial and museum renovation navigates the challenge of balancing contemporary artistic vision with respect for historical precedent and public expectation.
Beyond the Mall, this fall also marks an active season in campus architecture, highlighting new approaches to sustainability and preservation. At Amherst College in Massachusetts, Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron, with Sasaki Associates, completed the Ford Student Center by integrating the concrete columns of the 1968 Merrill Science Center into a new mass-timber structure. The design emphasizes sustainability and reinterprets Amherst’s signature "mammoth purple" color with deeper aubergine tones.
On the West Coast, Weiss/Manfredi unveiled the Barbara and Gerson Bakar Gateway building at the University of California, Berkeley. The 367,000-square-foot facility replaces Gardner Dailey’s 1963 Tolman Hall, housing the College of Computing, Data Science and Society within an environment that balances a refined glass-and-metal exterior with a bright, spacious interior.
Together, these developments reflect a broader discourse on architectural heritage, innovation, and the role of design in shaping institutional identity across the nation.