The National Building Museum has announced the return of its annual Summer Block Party. Titled Inside Out, the event diverges from previous renditions, which featured massive, immersive installations within the museum’s Great Hall. Instead, festivities will be formatted into smaller projects and public programs both within the museum and on the adjacent West Lawn that are better suited to an early post-pandemic era. The museum’s 2020 Summer Block Party, made in partnership with Folger Shakespeare Library, was postponed due to the pandemic. 

Featured projects include a large and vibrant outdoor mural called Equilateral Network by local muralist Lisa Marie Thalhammer. Made to allow visitors to safely enjoy being together while social-distancing, the piece comprises a series of pink triangles and walking paths, spaced 6 feet apart. It was inspired by Pierre Charles L’Enfant’s use of geometry in his city plan for Washington D.C. The use of colors also pays homage to the city’s LGBTQ+ community. 

Lo-Fab Pavilion by Mass Design Group explores how large and complex structures can be built in areas where skilled labor is in short supply, with local materials and small components. The project is an experimental grid-shell structure that merges traditional craftsmanship and computationally driven manufacturing processes. It features metal nodes created through robotic-fabrication techniques with manually adjoined hand-cut wooden struts to erect the structure. 

Other installations and events include a wooden maze filled with books, a hand-built cathedral truss, public programs, and a free outdoor movie series.

“It is a treat for the Museum to be able to offer D.C. residents and visitors a variety of experiences this summer that fulfill our mission in many ways, from amazing architecture and engineering installations to engaging educational programs to partnerships with local organizations, artists, and designers,” said Aileen Fuchs, President and Executive Director of the Museum. 

More information on the exhibits and programming at Inside Out can be accessed here.