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Multimedia & DIY Downloads

 

Looking for some fun and exciting activities to try at home? The National Building Museum is pleased to offer multimedia and downloadable DIY activities that are guaranteed fun for the whole family!

 

Why Scaffolding?


March 6, 2015
Photographer Colin Winterbottom explains how scaffolding surrounding iconic national landmarks became one of his subjects. Winterbottom was granted access to dizzyingly high earthquake repair sites at the Washington Monument and the Washington National Cathedral after they sustained damage by an earthquake in 2011.

Visit Scaling Washington.


Watch/Listen.

 

Danish Expo Pavilion Timelapse


January 29, 2015
The hectic days following the opening of the Danish Pavilion at Shanghai World Expo are captured through a time-lapse perspective, perfectly complemented by the sound of the minimalist classical composer Wim Mertens. Bjarke Ingels bikes through the Danish Expo Pavilion 2010, rushing past some of Copenhagen's best attractions in one continuous motion.
Watch/Listen.

 

Spotlight on Design: 11th Street Bridge Park

Spotlight on Design
January 8, 2015
The 11th Street Bridge Park, Washington, D.C.’s first elevated park over the Anacostia River, took a step toward reality with the selection of a winning design by firms OMA and OLIN. Jason Long, partner-in-charge at OMA; Hallie Boyce, ASLA, partner at OLIN; Scott Kratz, director, 11th Street Bridge Project; and David W. Smith, executive director, The Pearl Coalition, discuss the project, community involvment, and the plans to create an engaging civic space.
Watch/Listen.

 

Kurt Andersen and Charlie Rose

Vincent Scully Prize
November 19, 2014
2014 Vincent Scully Prize recipient Charlie Rose discusses his experiences with many of the world’s foremost architects, and is interviewed by writer and NPR's Studio 360 host Kurt Andersen.
Watch/Listen.

 

Charlie Rose Accepts the Vincent Scully Prize

Vincent Scully Prize
November 18, 2014
The National Building Museum presents the 2014 Vincent Scully Prize to Charlie Rose, anchor and executive editor of Charlie Rose and co-anchor of CBS This Morning, for exploring the value of good design, the growth of cities, and the shape of the urban form through his insightful and substantive conversations with leading thinkers of our day.
Watch/Listen.

 

How far out from your house should you take steps to reduce fire risk?


May 11, 2014

Q: How far out from your house should you take steps to reduce fire risk?
0-5 feet
5 feet to 30 feet
30 feet to 100 feet
200 feet—all of the above

A: 200 feet—all of the above

Learn more in the National Building Museum's exhibition Designing for Disaster.

Designing for Disaster animations produced by C&G Partners with special thanks to the exhibition’s curatorial associate, Christine Canabou.


Watch/Listen.

 

What flood damage prevention strategy is more about letting water in than keeping it out?


May 11, 2014

Q: There are many ways to prevent flood damage in a home. What strategy is more about letting water in than keeping it out?
Elevate
Float
Wet floodproof
Dry floodproof

A: Wet floodproof

Learn more in the National Building Museum's exhibition Designing for Disaster.

Designing for Disaster animations produced by C&G Partners with special thanks to the exhibition’s curatorial associate, Christine Canabou.


Watch/Listen.

 

True or False: Tornadoes form when opposites collide—cold, dry air meets warm, humid air.


May 11, 2014

Q: True or False: Tornadoes form when opposites collide—cold, dry air meets warm, humid air.
A: True.

Learn more in the National Building Museum's exhibition Designing for Disaster.

Designing for Disaster animations produced by C&G Partners with special thanks to the exhibition’s curatorial associate, Christine Canabou.


Watch/Listen.

 

True or False: A building can strengthen its resistance to the ground by separating itself from it.


May 11, 2014

Q: True or False: One way a building can strengthen its resistance to the ground is to actually separate itself from it.
A: True.

Learn more in the National Building Museum's exhibition Designing for Disaster.

Designing for Disaster animations produced by C&G Partners with special thanks to the exhibition’s curatorial associate, Christine Canabou.


Watch/Listen.

 

What part of a house is typically the easiest for wind to "break into"?


May 11, 2014

Q: What part of a house is typically the easiest for wind to "break into"
Garage door
Door
Window with hurricane shutters
Pet door

A: Garage door

Learn more in the National Building Museum's exhibition Designing for Disaster.

Designing for Disaster animations produced by C&G Partners with special thanks to the exhibition’s curatorial associate, Christine Canabou.


Watch/Listen.

 

True or False: It only takes one ember to set a house ablaze.


May 11, 2014

Q: True or False: It only takes one ember to set a house ablaze.
A: True.

Learn more in the National Building Museum's exhibition Designing for Disaster.

Designing for Disaster animations produced by C&G Partners with special thanks to the exhibition’s curatorial associate, Christine Canabou.


Watch/Listen.

 

How far out from your house should you take steps to reduce fire risk?


May 11, 2014

Q: How far out from your house should you take steps to reduce fire risk?
0-5 feet
5 feet to 30 feet
30 feet to 100 feet
200 feet—all of the above

A: 200 feet—all of the above

Learn more in the National Building Museum's exhibition Designing for Disaster.

Designing for Disaster animations produced by C&G Partners with special thanks to the exhibition’s curatorial associate, Christine Canabou.


Watch/Listen.

 

True or False: Given a level ground or sloped terrain, wildfires will take the high road.


May 11, 2014

Q: True or False: Given a level ground or sloped terrain, wildfires will take the high road
A: True

Learn more in the National Building Museum's exhibition Designing for Disaster.

Designing for Disaster animations produced by C&G Partners with special thanks to the exhibition’s curatorial associate, Christine Canabou.


Watch/Listen.

 

True or False: Living behind a levee completely eliminates your home's risk of flooding.


May 11, 2014

Q: True or False: Living behind a levee—a structure to contain water—completely eliminates your home's risk of flooding
A: False

Learn more in the National Building Museum's exhibition Designing for Disaster.

Designing for Disaster animations produced by C&G Partners with special thanks to the exhibition’s curatorial associate, Christine Canabou.


Watch/Listen.

 

What flood damage prevention strategy is more about letting water in than keeping it out?


May 11, 2014

Q: There are many ways to prevent flood damage in a home. What strategy is more about letting water in than keeping it out?
Elevate
Float
Wet floodproof
Dry floodproof

A: Wet floodproof

Learn more in the National Building Museum's exhibition Designing for Disaster.

Designing for Disaster animations produced by C&G Partners with special thanks to the exhibition’s curatorial associate, Christine Canabou.


Watch/Listen.

 

Which building form is safest in an earthquake?


May 11, 2014

Q: Some building forms are more vulnerable to earthquakes than others—which is safest?
L-shaped and short
Square and short
Square and tall
Long and rectangular

A: Square and short.

Learn more in the National Building Museum's exhibition Designing for Disaster.

Designing for Disaster animations produced by C&G Partners with special thanks to the exhibition’s curatorial associate, Christine Canabou.


Watch/Listen.

 

True or False: New construction can contribute to flooding.


May 11, 2014

Q: True or False: New construction—houses and buildings, roads and parking lots—can contribute to flooding
A: True

Learn more in the National Building Museum's exhibition Designing for Disaster.

Designing for Disaster animations produced by C&G Partners with special thanks to the exhibition’s curatorial associate, Christine Canabou.


Watch/Listen.

 

Why might an older brick building be X-braced?


May 11, 2014

Q: Why might an older brick building be X-braced?
To keep people out
To make brick more flexible
To brace against gravity
To brace against lateral or side-to-side movement.

A: To brace against lateral or side-to-side movement.

Learn more in the National Building Museum's exhibition Designing for Disaster.

Designing for Disaster animations produced by C&G Partners with special thanks to the exhibition’s curatorial associate, Christine Canabou.


Watch/Listen.

 

What are the three conditions required for fire to burn?


May 11, 2014

Q: What are the three conditions required for fire to burn?
A three-sided campfire
A pyramidal wood pile
Fuel, heat, and oxygen
Fuel, oxygen, and wind

A: Fuel, heat, and oxygen

Learn more in the National Building Museum's exhibition Designing for Disaster.

Designing for Disaster animations produced by C&G Partners with special thanks to the exhibition’s curatorial associate, Christine Canabou.


Watch/Listen.

 

What are the three conditions required for fire to burn?


May 11, 2014

Q: What are the three conditions required for fire to burn?
A three-sided campfire
A pyramidal wood pile
Fuel, heat, and oxygen
Fuel, oxygen, and wind

A: Fuel, heat, and oxygen

Learn more in the National Building Museum's exhibition Designing for Disaster.

Designing for Disaster animations produced by C&G Partners with special thanks to the exhibition’s curatorial associate, Christine Canabou.


Watch/Listen.

 

 

More Downloadable activities

Cherry Blossom Festival Pop-Ups

One-point Perspective Drawing Activity

Red Pepper Drawing Activity

10 Ways to Build in the Snow