Going for Gold: Diller Scofidio + Renfro Unveils Athlete-Inspired U.S. Olympics Museum

Diller Scofidio + Renfro are perhaps best known for providing one of the best places to go for a stroll in their native New York, but their latest project is dedicated to movement at a much quicker pace. The firm has unveiled a proposal for a museum charting the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, to be located in Colorado Springs, adjacent to the US Olympic Committee headquarters.

According to founding partner Elizabeth Diller, the swooping silver structure is “inspired by the movement of athletes,” with the helical building echoing the “two parts of one body in counterpoise.” Twin twisting forms will house a hall of fame, a 20,000-square-foot exhibit hall, and a retail space, all emanating from the central atrium. The building’s sinuous, metallic exterior bears some similarities to another new project by DS+R revealed in March this year, the Berkley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.

The museum has been designed to frame a new public plaza for downtown Colorado Springs, with the dramatic summit of Pike’s Peak as its backdrop. Further public infrastructure has been proposed, with a new pedestrian route forming a “new axis” to the America the Beautiful Park West. Visualizations also show an ancillary building that adopts the same architectural language on the opposite side of the square, housing a café or restaurant for museum visitors.

The U.S. Olympic Museum will break ground next year and is due to open just before the 2018 Winter Games, which will be hosted in Pyeongchang in South Korea.