BRC Imagination Arts Named Winner of NHM’s Planning Competition Winner

NHM has selected BRC Imagination Arts as the winner of the Museum’s nine-month Master Planning Competition that attracted more than two dozen entries from among the world’s top museum planning firms.

In announcing the selection, Museum Vice Chairman and Program Committee head Fitzhugh Mullan, MD, said, “Choosing a winner was a real challenge because we received so many exceptional, high quality submissions. We are grateful to all those who participated. The choice of BRC reflects our high regard for their past achievements and recognition of their exciting vision for the future of the world’s only national health museum.”

BRC, which is headquartered in Burbank, California, and has offices in the Netherlands and England, was one of two firms under final consideration. The other was Cambridge Seven Associates of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Two other California firms—Gyroscope, Inc., and IQ Magic—had previously been in the running as semi-finalists.

BRC is a global leader in the design, creation and production of immersive attractions for museums and cultural heritage sites. The twenty-three year-old company has developed scores of major exhibitions including the recently opened Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. The Lincoln Library and Museum has proven wildly popular with the public, drawing more than 300,000 visitors since its public dedication in April. Critical reaction has been positive as well, with the Chicago Sun-Times calling its depiction of Lincoln, “the greatest testament to his life and legacy.” Other BRC projects include the NASA Space Centers in Florida and Texas, and the current United States Pavilion at Japan’s World Expo 2005.

“We now have our three key foundation stones of the Museum in place,” said Mullan. “We have a great architect, an exceptional team helping to acquire and develop the site on the National Mall, and now a world-class master planning partner selected from an outstanding group of finalists.”

BRC’s conceptual exhibitions for NHM include “Heal,” a dynamic, flexible and updatable exhibit zone that celebrates the state of the art science, history and heroic future of medicine, health and healing.