More than 30 icebergs 鈥� some up to 56 feet tall 鈥� sit and float in a 12,540-square-foot ocean in the National Building Museum. The latest exhibit will have you taking a different look at Washington's sultry summers.
More than 30 icebergs 鈥� some up to 56 feet tall 鈥� sit and float in a 12,540-square-foot ocean in the F Street NW聽building鈥檚 great hall. Sure, the icebergs are made from polycarbonate paneling, and the ocean is actually just a blue net, but the effect is stunning, nonetheless.
(草莓传媒/Rachel Nania)
草莓传媒/Rachel Nania
The exhibit, designed by landscape architect , is the latest addition to the museum鈥檚 annual Summer Block Party series. Last year鈥檚 ball pit BEACH instillation drew more than 180,000 visitors in its two-month run.
(草莓传媒/Rachel Nania)
草莓传媒/Rachel Nania
James Corner designed the exhibit. He also designed New York’s famous High Line. (Rendering by James Corner Field Operations, courtesy National Building Museum)
(Rendering by James Corner Field Operations, courtesy National Building Museum)
Rendering by James Corner Field Operations, courtesy National Building Museum
Similar to BEACH, ICEBERGS is an interactive experience. Visitors can walk in and out of the prefabricated structures, lounge on beanbags designed to look like small blocks of ice, and even climb up the tallest iceberg to catch a view of the landscape from above the ocean鈥檚 surface.
(草莓传媒/Rachel Nania)
草莓传媒/Rachel Nania
James Corner聽chose the theme of icebergs for a number of reasons.
鈥淔irst, we feel quite passionately about issues surrounding the environment and climate change at the moment. We thought it would be instructive to have an installation that spoke to issues of global warming, to ice melt, to what icebergs actually are, and to create a narrative around that,鈥� he said.
(草莓传媒/Rachel Nania)
草莓传媒/Rachel Nania
The city鈥檚 uncomfortable summers also inspired his design.
鈥淚n July and August in Washington D.C., it鈥檚 super hot outside; it鈥檚 humid, it鈥檚 sweltering. Wouldn鈥檛 it be great to come into an environment that鈥檚 literally cool?鈥� (Rendering聽by James Corner Field Operations, courtesy National Building Museum)
(by James Corner Field Operations, courtesy National Building Museum)
by James Corner Field Operations, courtesy National Building Museum
There鈥檚 an iceberg slide, educational programming and a kiosk that sells Japanese shaved ice from local restaurant Daikaya.
(草莓传媒/Rachel Nania)
草莓传媒/Rachel Nania
Corner and his team constructed the iceberg鈥檚 triangular pieces off-site and have been installing them in them over the past two weeks. The exhibit opens to the public on Saturday, July 2 and will run through Sept. 5.
(草莓传媒/Rachel Nania)
草莓传媒/Rachel Nania
Similar to last year, the museum is planning weekly after-hours events in ICEBERGS, with live entertainment and food from local favorites such as Maketto, Hank鈥檚 Oyster Bar, The BBQ Joint and Port City Brewing Company.
(草莓传媒/Rachel Nania)
草莓传媒/Rachel Nania
Visitors can climb up the tallest iceberg to catch a view of the landscape from above the ocean鈥檚 surface.
(草莓传媒/Rachel Nania)
草莓传媒/Rachel Nania
Visitors can relax on聽beanbags,聽designed to look like small chips of ice. (Rendering聽by James Corner Field Operations, courtesy National Building Museum)
(by James Corner Field Operations, courtesy National Building Museum)
by James Corner Field Operations, courtesy National Building Museum
Some of the icebergs are suspended from the museum’s ceiling.
(草莓传媒/Rachel Nania)
草莓传媒/Rachel Nania
The ICEBERGS exhibit takes up聽12,540 square feet in the museum’s great hall.
(草莓传媒/Rachel Nania)
草莓传媒/Rachel Nania
Tickets to the exhibit are $16 for adults and $13 for youth, students and seniors, and includes admission to all of the museum鈥檚 exhibitions.聽(Rendering聽by James Corner Field Operations, courtesy National Building Museum)
April 24, 2026 | A chilling scene: Icebergs takeover the National Building Museum (草莓传媒's Rachel Nania)
WASHINGTON 鈥� Outside, temperatures are on the rise and the heat of summer is setting in. But inside the National Building Museum, things are pretty cool.
More than 30 icebergs 鈥� some up to 56 feet tall 鈥� sit and float in a 12,540-square-foot ocean in the F Street NW聽building鈥檚 great hall. Sure, the icebergs are made from polycarbonate paneling, and the ocean is actually just a blue net, but the effect is stunning, nonetheless.
The exhibit, designed by landscape architect , is the latest addition to the museum鈥檚 annual Summer Block Party series. Last year鈥檚 ball pit BEACH instillation drew more than 180,000 visitors in its two-month run.
When the museum reached out to Corner, who is best known for his work on The High Line in New York, he admits he was initially intimidated and hesitant to try to replicate the success of the BEACH project.
鈥淢y response was, 鈥業t鈥檚 not a matter of competition,鈥欌�� said Chase Rynd, executive director of the National Building Museum. 鈥淲hat we鈥檙e really interested in is a surprising experience in the great hall.鈥�
Similar to BEACH, ICEBERGS is an interactive experience. Visitors can walk in and out of the prefabricated structures, lounge on beanbags designed to look like small blocks of ice, and even climb up the tallest iceberg to catch a view of the landscape from above the ocean鈥檚 surface.
There鈥檚 an iceberg slide, educational programming and a kiosk that sells Japanese shaved ice from local restaurant Daikaya.
Corner says he chose the聽iceberg theme for a number of reasons.
鈥淔irst, we feel quite passionately about issues surrounding the environment and climate change at the moment. We thought it would be instructive to have an installation that spoke to issues of global warming, to ice melt, to what icebergs actually are, and to create a narrative around that,鈥� he said.
The city鈥檚 uncomfortable summers also inspired his design.
鈥淚n July and August in Washington D.C., it鈥檚 super hot outside; it鈥檚 humid, it鈥檚 sweltering. Wouldn鈥檛 it be great to come into an environment that鈥檚 literally cool?鈥�
Corner and his team constructed the iceberg鈥檚 triangular pieces off-site and have been installing them in them over the past two weeks. The exhibit opens to the public on Saturday, July 2 and will run through Sept. 5.
Similar to last year, the museum is planning weekly after-hours events in ICEBERGS, with live entertainment and food from local favorites such as Maketto, Hank鈥檚 Oyster Bar, The BBQ Joint and Port City Brewing Company.
Tickets to the exhibit are $16 for adults and $13 for youth, students and seniors, and includes admission to all of the museum鈥檚 exhibitions.
