National Center for Civil and Human Rights Opens in Atlanta

Photo © Albert Vercerka/Esto
Architect: Freelon Group
Architect of Record: HOK
Exhibit Designer: Rockwell Group
Water Sculpture: Larry Kirkland
Completion: 2014
LEED Gold®

The HOK / Freelon Group team designed The National Center for the visitors’ ongoing education of civil and human rights. The building incorporates a high-performance exterior wall assembly, state-of-the-art environmental control systems, a green roof, and several energy-saving features.

The Center joins several civic buildings in the heart of downtown Atlanta’s Pemberton Place. The unique architectural “ship hull” form creates an intriguing lantern effect that welcomes visitors and is symbolic of the expression of interlocking arms during the Civil Rights movement. The program includes exhibit spaces, a gallery dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s papers, an atrium, multi-purpose spaces, and a public plaza which features a dynamic water sculpture.

Read more at Architectural Record July 2014.