Building for Peace

Permanent Headquarters Project

By act of Congress, the United States Institute of Peace has secured an extraordinary site in Washington, D.C. for its permanent headquarters facility. Located at the northwest corner of the National Mall at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and 23rd Street NW, the site faces the Lincoln Memorial and is adjacent to the Korean War and Vietnam Veterans memorials.

The headquarters will serve the American people, the federal government, and the international community as a national center for research, education, training, and policy development on issues of international conflict prevention, management, and resolution. The building will contain working spaces for program and administrative staff and research fellows, a research library and archives, a state-of-the-art conference center that includes classrooms and professional training rooms, and a public education center. Designed to appeal to people of all ages from the United States and abroad, the Public Education Center will offer a wide range of exhibits that engage and inform citizens about the issues critical to global security and international peacemaking.

The architectural firm for the headquarters is Moshe Safdie and Associates. Safdie’s design reflects his vision that the headquarters, given its location, is a symbolic structure on the capital’s skyline representing the striving for peace. The building’s roofs form a series of wing-like elements. Constructed of steel frame and white translucent glass, they will be white on the exterior during the day and glow from light within at night. The roof structures will be visible from many locations along the National Mall as well as from the roads and bridges into the city that cross the Potomac River. The building will be a LEED certified green building.

Funding for the project is a public-private partnership, in keeping with the Institute’s mission to serve the federal government and the American people. Congress has provided $100 million to the Institute for construction of the facility. Private funds are being raised to complete the project. The current schedule is to break ground in early 2008 and complete construction by the first quarter of 2010.

The Public Education Center:

Designed to increase public understanding of international conflicts and approaches to their prevention, management, and peaceful resolution, the center’s goals are to:

• Raise awareness about the nature of international conflicts.
• Educate about nonviolent approaches to conflict management.
• Feature the Institute’s work in regions of conflict.
• Attract young people to careers in international affairs and conflict resolution.
• Encourage public discussion about international conflicts and global affairs.

This unique education center—intended to reach out to students and their teachers—will use multimedia exhibits, simulated games, films, lectures, and other techniques. There will be at least 20,000 square feet of exhibit space on two levels. The center will be accessible from the public plaza and garden. Planning for the center also envisions “virtual” electronic programming for teachers, students, and others nationwide even if they cannot visit the center in person. Teaching materials and other educational resources will be developed, and online programming will be made available to the public.

Read more about the design of the new Public Education Center

The Negotiation and Conference Center:

A principle function of the Institute is its convening power. Thus, a focal point of the headquarters facility will be a negotiation and conference center that will include:

• A 230 seat auditorium and a 65-seat briefing room for conferences, symposia, public lectures, film screenings, and addresses by heads of state.
• Mid-size meeting rooms for educational and training programs.
• Small meeting rooms to foster dialogues or negotiations among parties to conflicts, and policy deliberations.
• Advanced information and communication technologies.
• State-of-the-art technology for simultaneous interpretation and translation of meetings conducted in multiple languages.
• Enhanced broadband Internet services to support the Institute’s expanded use of webcasting to a wired global audience.

The Working Spaces:

The building’s three upper floors will house the Institute’s programmatic and administrative staff, research fellows, a research library, and archives.

Contact:

With any further questions or interest, please contact Stephen Whisnant at 202-429-4161 or swhisnant@usip.org. Print quality graphics of the headquarters project may be downloaded at www.usip.org/building/pressphotos.html.