The circular entrance area of the Museum at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis with visitors, a white-clad ceiling and the glass roof supported by cantilevers, as well as the park and the historic courthouse in the background

stainless steel cantilevers for a glass canopy

sophisticated roof structure for the museum at the gateway arch

On the bank of the Mississippi River, the Gateway Arch rises 192 m into the sky. Beneath this landmark lies an underground museum, featuring a semicircular glass roof and transparent façades that invite visitors to learn more about the historical narratives of the United States. A total of 38 cantilevers made of milled solid stainless steel support the roof’s 73 printed laminated glass panels. These cantilevered beams enable a wide span without additional columns.

Façade type
Steel-and-glass design
Client
United States Department of Interiors National Park Service
Contractor
McCarthy Building Companies
Engineer
Alper Audi Inc., EOC
Architect
James Carpenter Design Associates / Cooper Robertson
Two women in front of the Museum at the Gateway Arch with a detail of the round roof with steel cantilevers and individual panes of glass and a view of the interior of the museum
The leafy park of St. Louis with the round, underground Museum at the Gateway Arch and the curved Arch on the banks of the Missississippi River under a cloudy sky
The forecourt of the Museum at the Gateway Arch on a green meadow with the cantilever glass roof in the shape of a semicircle
Three steel cantilever arms bear the load of the glass panes of the roof of the Museum at the Gateway Arch
Production of the steel cantilevers for the Museum at the Gateway Arch at seele

curvature in roof, façade, and monument

The vertical, curved façade panels, each weighing 460 kg, are resiliently mounted to the structural steel framework supporting the cantilevers. The curved glass elements and the rounded shape of the roof above the entrance echo the curvature of the Gateway Arch itself.
 

Awards for the visitor centre

Grands Prix du Design Platinum Award 2021
AL Design Awards 2019
ENR Award Global Best Practice 2019 – Cultural
ENR Award Midwest Best Practice 2019 – Cultural
LEED Gold Certificate 2019
Modernism in America Award of Excellence 2019
AIA St. Louis Design Awards 2018

#madebyseele

Glass roof with stainless steel cantilevers — façade with curved glass

460 kg
weight per curved façade panel
85 t
structural steel
38
milled stainless steel cantilevers
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