Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary

Today, November 11, marks the tenth anniversary of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opening in Bentonville, Arkansas. In 2011, Schnabel Engineering was brought onto the project for excavation support.

The Crystal Bridges Museum takes its name from a nearby natural spring and the bridge construction incorporated in the building, designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. The 100,000-sf facility was designed for both a gallery and community/culture center. The buildings knit into the surrounding landscape and has series of pavilions nestled around two spring-fed ponds. The area also includes five miles of sculpture and walking trails that link the museum’s 120-acre park to downtown Bentonville, Arkansas.

During construction, Schnabel Engineering’s Chadds Ford and Columbia teams provided geostructural design for the foundations in highly variable limestone geology. They also designed for the geocomposite clay liner (GCL) for all the ponds and performed QC testing for these elements.

Principal Engineer, Rich Wargo was a member of the team that worked on the Crystal Bridges project back in 2011. “Working on this project was challenging because we were working with variable limestone rock conditions. But the end result is a beautiful world-class American art museum that’s enjoyed by locals and visitors alike,” said Rich. “Schnabel was honored to be a part of design and construction.”

Completed project photos: © Tim Hursley