Museums
Project List

Smithsonian Insitution
National Museum of the
American Indian

On the Mall, Washington, DC, 2004

Previous work as Associate Partner with Polshek Partnership Architects

Size: 260,000 St. Ft

Polshek Smithgroup and Native American Design Collaborative, joint venture team on the earlier completed project for the National Museum of American Indian – Cultural Resources Center was invited by the Smithsonian Institution to take on the task to complete the Mall Museum project where the concept design architect was terminated. Damyanti’s role was to work in close consensus, nurturing relationships built with the joint venture team, learning, understanding and implementing aspirations and goals set by the Native American community for its museum. It was truly a privilege as well as challenge to participate in making this project real, a great accomplishment in spite of the extraordinary circumstances. The process was moderated by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of the American Indian. Their participation and encouragement played catalyst in maintaining team morale and commitment for success of the project.

Yale University Art Gallery
Kahn Building
Façade Restoration and Renovation

New Haven, Connecticut

Previous work as Associate Partner with Polshek Partnership Architects

Size: 62,000 Sq. Ft.

The renovation of the 1953 Louis Kahn Art Gallery building restores many features of the original design and upgrades outmoded systems. The complete replacement of the building’s original window-wall system, along the west and north facades, was the most complex aspect of the renovation. The new system duplicates the appearance and profiles of the original while addressing the original wall’s technical shortcomings and accommodating the strict temperature and humidity requirements of a modern museum. The renovation also restores an open exterior courtyard that was previously roofed over in the 1970’s. With the removal of partitions, the individual galleries now reveal spacious, unobstructed vistas according to Kahn’s original vision.