Artifact Installation for Air and Space Museum Renovation

Engineering Line

Cone Collection Robot
Artifact Installation
Mixed-Use Development
Bridge Design
Transportation Planning
Main Station

Design Line

Digital Collage
Aerial City Rendering
Tessellation Wallpaper
Main Station
Gallery before artifacts were installed.

Before

Gallery after all hanging artifacts were installed.

After

Artifact Installation for Air and Space Museum Renovation

Professional work with the Smithsonian Institution, 2021-2022

An artifact arriving on a truck and being unloaded with a telehandler. Most large artifacts, such as aircraft, arrive this way. My role was to coordinate delivery dates and times and assure necessary permits for wide loads and road closures had been obtained.

The National Air and Space Museum Revitalization is an ongoing major capital project to renovate, refurbish, and modernize the National Mall flagship building. My role during Phase 1 of the two-phase project was to oversee and coordinate the installation of over 400 artifacts.

An airplane enters museum building through hangar door on west end. My role was to coordinate with site superintendents to clear a path for artifacts to travel through the active construction site.

After construction in a given gallery was complete, the next step was to hang and mount large artifacts. Artifacts were delivered on flatbed trucks, unloaded using a telehandler, and pulled on dollies through the museum. I scheduled delivery dates, equipment, and personnel, secured necessary permits for wide loads and road closures, and worked with site superintendents to clear a travel path through the active construction site.

An aircraft being rigged into position. My role was to verify final artifact hanging points on truss steel.

Once in the gallery, artifacts were rigged into position and secured to permanent supports. I reviewed rigging, assembly, and safety plans, confirmed that the steel structure was sufficient to support artifact weights, and approved final hanging or mounting positions.

We successfully installed over 40 large artifacts and hundreds more small artifacts in Phase 1, which opened to the public in 2022.

© 2024 Jaren Hubal