Home & Design
National Building Museum - Snarkitecture
National Building Museum - Snarkitecture

Floating in an "ocean" of recyclable plastic balls.

National Building Museum - Furniture
National Building Museum - Furniture

A rendering of The Beach, at the National Building Museum.

Beach Party

The National Building Museum offers quintessential summer fun

Beach Party The beach comes to downtown DC from July 4 through September 7, courtesy of the National Building Museum. Made of white-painted scaffolding, wood panels, and perforated mesh, “The BEACH” is a 10,000-square-foot, interactive architectural installation that will span the museum’s Great Hall, containing an “ocean” of nearly one million recyclable, translucent plastic balls. Monochromatic beach chairs and umbrellas will dot the 50-foot-wide “shoreline,” with a mirrored wall creating the effect of an infinite expanse. Kids looking for fun may “swim” in the ocean, play beach games like paddleball, enjoy the snack bar or just dangle their feet off the “pier.”

The BEACH is part of the museum’s annual Summer Block Party, with programs, exhibits, and events for all ages. It was created in conjunction with Snarkitecture, an experimental Brooklyn practice that blends art and architecture in installations that allow people to engage directly with their environment. For more information, visit nbm.org.

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