National Medal of Honor Museum

The National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas is a national institution dedicated to the history, service and legacy of members of the United States Armed Forces who have been awarded the Medal of Honor.

The ring-shaped ground floor of the building includes entrance and reception areas, event rooms and a café. Approximately 3,000 sqm of exhibition space is housed in a 10m-high cuboid that floats 14m above the ground. This rests on five supports symbolising the branches of the US Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard.

Brand: Gartner

Design architect: Rafael Viñoly Architects

Client and main contractor: Linbeck Group

Owner: National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation

The project

The concept

The building is flooded with light through a range of glazing, including a rotunda façade with skylight that separates the ground floor from the inner courtyard, the highly transparent rectangular façades of the exhibition spaces, and a glazed lift that connects the two parts of the building.

What did we do?

Our team designed, engineered, manufactured and installed a total façade area of 1,800 sqm: 1,250 sqm of steel glass façade; 300 sqm of glass fin façade; and approximately 250 sqm of cable façade.

The impressive rotunda façade forms the inner ring of the ground floor and is glazed with curved insulating glass, rising to a height of around 3.2m and a diameter of 28m.

The exhibition spaces have identical rectangular façades, each 17.8m wide and 6.8m high, with full-height insulating glass units to maximise transparency.

Key facts

Year opened

2025

Building area

10,000 sqm

Total façade supplied

1,800 sqm