SmithGroup at 2025 Building Museums Symposium

Join SmithGroup thought leaders and cultural design experts at the 2025 Building Museums Symposium in St. Louis, Missouri, March 5-7, 2025. Building Museums is a national symposium on the process, promise and pitfalls of planning and managing museum building projects. 

Wednesday, March 5 | 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM 
Ready, Aim, Build! - A Museum Planning Workshop 
The day-long workshop will feature Jame Anderson, Monteil Crawley, Chris Wood and Sarah Ghorbanian 
Learn to successfully manage any planning, building or capital project. SmithGroup's cultural experts will present a step-by-step process that takes you from project inception through opening day and beyond. Along with partner experts from Chora Group, Clark Construction, Cumming Cost Consultants, and G&A, as well as a special guest keynote from Wes Mosman Block of Wisconsin Historical Society, the team will review best practices and common pitfalls in museum projects. Advanced registration and additional fee required.

Thursday, March 6 | 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM 
Session 1D: The Art of Vibration Control – Don't Let Construction Rock Your Museum! 
Sara Urizar 
A focused discussion on managing and monitoring construction vibrations during renovations or additions to collections-based museum buildings. To present two case studies of vibration control during museum expansions, Sara will join Arne Johnson of Wiss, Janney, Elstner, Inc. (WJE); Charlotte Seifen Ameringer of the Portland Art Museum; and Bridget Bush of Answer Advisory.

Friday, March 7 | 2:45 – 4:00 PM 
Session 6D: Museums, Marvels, and Mythical Beasts: Conquering Complexity and Constraints 
Monteil Crawley and Ivo Rozendaal 
The project team behind the Wisconsin History Center reveals how a strong shared vision is enabling them to navigate the unique challenges of its delivery. In addition to Monteil and Ivo, the presenters include Wes Mosman Block of Wisconsin Historical Society; George Austin of AVA Civic Enterprises; and Patrick Swindell of RAA.