Located in the heart of Alaska’s largest city, the Anchorage Museum of History & Art views the expansion project as reinforcing its mission and strengthening its role within the City and the community. With this expansion, the museum adds a new dimension to its mission – interpreting the science of the north – while remaining true to the history, art and cultural artifacts that make it one of Alaska’s favorite museums. This project enables the Museum to display more of its collection and to provide a permanent home for The Imaginarium, Alaska’s only hands-on science discovery center for children. The expansion also allows for the return of treasured Alaskan artifacts that are currently residing in Washington, D.C. at the Smithsonian and the Museum of the American Indian.

The expansion project includes an 80,000 square foot new building for galleries and visitor services, minor renovation of the existing 93,000 square foot museum, and a two-acre public plaza.

The desire to incorporate sustainable design practices, in the spirit of the USGBC's LEED certification program, is a key feature of this project, while the extreme temperatures experienced in that location, as well as the degree of light exposure related to the location provide unique challenges for incorporating mechanical and electrical infrastructure necessary to maintain interior temperatures preferred by both human visitors and staff, and the delicate needs of the art and exhibits displayed within.

Size:     
173,000 square feet

Construction Cost:   
$120 million

Status:     
Completed 2009

Davis Langdon was brought on-board by the Owner to assist in developing the project budget at the inception of the project. We provided ongoing and interactive cost consulting services from the inception of the project through the construction documents phase.  During each phase of the design, cost checking was provided to ensure that the design was developing in line with the budget, and that cost information was available to support informed decision making across various elements of the project. 

Davis Langdon’s Sustainability Group also assisted the design team on managing the LEED process by using an approach designed to encourage and support integrated design while effectively controlling costs. The team analyzed the program and project conditions for LEED feasibility, including implications to design and construction effort, aesthetics, and cost.