Rafael Viñoly Architects unveil renderings of the new National Medal of Honor Museum

Rafael Viñoly Architects have unveiled the first renderings of the National Medal of Honor Museum, one year after finalists were announced. The Museum is dedicated to the commemoration and preservation of the stories of more than 3,500 recipients of the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest medal for valor in combat. Located in Arlington, Texas, the new facility will sit on a five-acre site and include 25,000 square feet of exhibition galleries, an education center, conference and event space, and an outdoor amphitheater.  At the Museum's main building, a large mass of steel sits suspended on five pillars, giving it an illusory look of levitation. Each pillar represents one of the traditional branches of the Armed Services. An oculus penetrates the center of the floating steel volume, bringing light into the space while offering views to the sky above. Two spiral ramps encircle the oculus and lead to the main exhibition spaces where the stories of those fallen will be told thro...