Close-up

To conserve energy and reduce humidity to protect artifacts from condensation, the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., recently installed structural thermal breaks at rooftop penetrations.

SmithGroup, a Washington, D.C.-based architectural firm, designed the 350,000-square-foot building with continuous insulation but faced a challenge as thermal bridges formed near the cooling tower's rooftop connections. To protect the vulnerable exhibit space below, SteelFab Inc., Charlotte, N.C., installed Schöck Isokörb® Structural Thermal Breaks at 32 connection points to simultaneously insulate and support the columns penetrating the rooftop.

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