Canopy of Peace - National World War II Museum

New Orleans, USA

The National World War II Museum is a major attraction of New Orleans. With about one million visitors per year, the complex is one of the three most visited museums in the US. A rendering of the completed $325 million campus expansion with the Canopy of Peace (Image Courtesy of The National WWII Museum)

Thanks to generous, private donations, the relatively young museum has constantly been extended with new theme buildings and content. One further addition is the widely visible steel-membrane-roof that will be connecting the various buildings of the museum campus and is set for completion within 2017. The, so called, “Canopy of Peace” will be symbolizing a protection shield for all soldiers and especially those who fought in World War II, but should also be a connecting element for the buildings of the museum while at the same time serving as sun protection for all visitors – following the military slogan “We’re all in this together”. With its height of 50 meters, the “Canopy of Peace” will become an icon for the cityscape of New Orleans that so far consist of relatively low buildings compared to US standards.

The membrane construction with its 4000 square meters of PTFE-covered glass fibre fabric consists of 75 individually designed parts and will span over a complicated steel construction of 140 meters length and 40 meters width.