The headquarters of the American Institute of Peace in Washington D.C. are located directly opposite the Lincoln Memorial. Moshe Safdie & Associates, Inc. has grouped the Institute buildings around two glass-roofed atria. The roofs are in the form of a dove and an olive branch, and can be recognised from afar as the symbols of peace.

The “dove of peace” and the “olive branch” are made up of various geometrical segments. The free forms of the two self-supporting shell structures place great demands on the structural engineering because they cannot be analysed linearly. The multiple-cranked steel sections for the transverse beams were welded together beforehand and bolted to the intermediate beams via end plates during construction. Aluminium glazing bars on top, concealed Sefix retainers and a continuous silicone joint form an aesthetically sophisticated roof glazing solution. White membranes spanning across aluminium frames suspended below the roof glazing filter the incoming daylight and scatter it evenly across the interior below. During the day, the roof surfaces appear white, at night they radiate like luminous objects.