Smithsonian National Museum Of African Art Circular Atrium Washington DC United States // WASHINGTON DC, United States — Natural light filters through a central skylight into the multi-level circular atrium of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Designed by architect Jean-Paul Carlhian and opened in 1987, the facility is uniquely constructed as a subterranean structure located beneath the Enid A. Haupt Garden. This descending architectural core utilizes stacked geometric cutouts to draw daylight deep into the underground galleries, illuminating the ashlar masonry walls and the dist

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