The Pritzker Military Archives Center, An Innovative Way To Honor American Service Members

The new Pritzker Military Archives Center in Somers, Wisconsin, designed by award-winning architectural firm Jahn, is meant to challenge the notion that historical and cultural preservation has to take place in a dark, concrete box.

Set on a 17-acre backdrop of farmland and landscaped gardens, the 45K SF archive center has a distinct “rough and tough” feel representing the contributions of the "citizen soldier" and their military equipment, said Philip Castillo, managing director at Jahn. 

The center features 15K SF of below-grade archival storage and another 10K SF of gallery space for the public to view artifacts and exhibitions. The building will house nearly 120,000 military artifacts as the new home to the Pritzker Military Museum and Library, a nonprofit institution formerly located in downtown Chicago.

“We didn't want to make this building a pristine welded structure with everything looking seamless,” Castillo said. “We wanted the welds to be unground and the bolts to be shown. We really wanted visitors to understand how this structure goes together, just like a piece of military equipment — there's nothing to hide.”

In contrast to the bold and gutsy structure, the building boasts a fritted glass facade that embodies modernity, he added. Exposed red steel beams symbolize courage. Red is also found in the flag of the U.S. Marine Corps. 

But just as it was intentional in every aspect of its design, the creators of the Pritzker Military Archives Center paid close attention to the sustainability and durability of the project, ensuring it would remain in top-notch shape for years to come.

“The design is very minimalist in material use,” said Benjamin Skelton, president and CEO at Cyclone Energy Group, which provided sustainability, commissioning, energy efficiency and renewable energy consulting for the project. “There aren't a lot of interior walls or separations, it's a very open and inviting space inside the center. The building materials used on this project significantly reduced the embodied carbon impact.”

Castillo added that the building is largely forged from recycled steel. Additionally, because of very specific preservation requirements, the temperature and humidity must be precise, and UV radiation penetration into the building must be less than 2%. That’s why fritted glass was used, with a larger black grid and a smaller red grid reinforcing the idea of structure, he said. 

“There was a concern that, especially in the exhibit space and where archivists work in the back, there would be too much sunlight pouring through the building,” Castillo said. “We had Cyclone come in and they did a series of readings to prove the glass itself had less than 2% UV radiation. It actually came in at less than 1% radiation, outperforming all specifications.”

Skelton said Cyclone looked at the building through the lens of LEED certification as it applied to materials such as paints, sealants and adhesives. But when it came to the building’s HVAC system, it needed to take greater measures to ensure resilience given the temperature and humidity control requirements and 24/7 equipment operations. 

To meet energy efficiency goals, the Cyclone team, in conjunction with project engineer Cosentini, modeled several iterations of HVAC system designs, Skelton said. 

"We had to think about cooling in a way that wouldn’t disturb the building’s aesthetic," Skelton said. "As a result, you don’t see duct work in the space, it’s being distributed at the floor behind the scenes.”

The sustainable features of the 17-acre property extend beyond the building, Skelton said. From indigenous plantings to solar panels lining the fields next to the building, every part of the property incorporates some facet of sustainability.

“The landscape design also draws from some military references,” Castillo said. “The gardens outside of the building are circular, signifying a rampart. The circle is lined with Red Twig Dogwoods and the interconnecting walkways with Regal Prince Oaks, all of which were prevalent in the northern European World War II theater. We’ve used indigenous materials in a very artful way.”

Retention ponds to the east and west of the building are used to irrigate the entire property, he added.

Cyclone’s role as the energy consultant was to conduct a variety of building studies and analyses, testing all of the systems once they were put into place. Ultimately, the building commissioning was completed, with Cyclone making sure all the systems were reliable and operating efficiently — even exceeding original expectations.

But to make this unique project come together in a cohesive fashion, all moving parts involved had to be synchronized. 

“Most of the land around us are farms,” he said. “To turn farmland into a space where the community can really gather and learn so much about our country, and about sustainability, is an incredible feat. The building owner, the museum, the contractors and the consultant teams all shared the same vision and focused on how to achieve it."

Castillo said the Pritzker Military Archives Center will open the public’s eyes about what a museum and archive center can look like. It could have been built like any precast tilt-up concrete warehouse,  which  would have been the easy route, he said.

“I was awestruck when I first saw the building,” Skelton said. “I’ve been to many museums, and they might have a glass facade, but you never get to see what’s being preserved on the inside from the outside, it’s all hidden from view. The public has loved visiting this building so far, and we can’t wait to see what comes next.”

This article was produced in collaboration between Studio B and Cyclone Energy Group. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.