Case Study: Museum of the Bible achieves enhanced security and blast resilience with Thornton Tomasetti

Museum of the Bible secures 430,000 ft² museum with Thornton Tomasetti

The Museum of the Bible faced the challenge of transforming a historic 1922 warehouse in Washington, D.C., into a secure, state-of-the-art museum. Their specific needs included protecting the building perimeter and public queuing areas from potential hostile vehicle attacks. Thornton Tomasetti was engaged to provide physical security design services, including blast hardening and progressive collapse assessments.

Thornton Tomasetti designed and integrated non-traditional perimeter security barriers in close coordination with local transportation authorities, balancing historic preservation with security demands. Working within limited space and a tight schedule, the team optimized column strengthening strategies to meet both gravity and blast load demands. The successful solution allowed the 430,000-square-foot museum to open in 2017 with enhanced protection seamlessly incorporated into its landscape and streetscape.

Museum of the Bible