Making the MOE: Step Into Discovery in the Pavilion at the National Geographic Museum of Exploration

From the stunning media wall, to wall cases featuring some legendary Explorers and more, the Pavilion is sure to inspire your curiosity and invite you to discover the wonder of our world. Plus, our sustainable millwork and the Oculus skylight bring the heart of the museum to life.

John Boyer (Vice President, Creative, Exhibitions) and Kristen O’Connor (Senior Project Manager, Building Operations) would agree. Their favorite part of the Pavilion is "the millwork. This wood was salvaged from a New Hampshire farm protecting its forest from the highly invasive Emerald Ash Borer beetle. Instead of letting all that lumber go to waste, we are proud to have given it a second home.”

But, if you stop for a minute and look down, you’ll discover that unlocking your inner explorer starts with taking a step into the MOE.

Our bespoke floor cases are windows into the National Geographic Society’s legacy of illuminating and protecting the wonders of our world. We collaborated with designers, architects and contractors to design and build the Pavilion in a way that makes it clear that the Society’s mission is more relevant than ever. We are proud to show our continuing commitment to our mission by embedding these moments of discovery into the foundation of the building. Let’s dive into how this visual storytelling was brought to life.

Embracing the Explorer Mindset

Get a preview of the exciting stories featured in the floor cases.

These amazing Pavilion floor cases weren't in the original plans for the design of the Museum of Exploration. The idea came from a moment of pure creative problem-solving. The building's design had natural gaps and structural voids in the floor foundation, so John and his team asked, “What can we do with these spaces to enhance that discovery process even more?” The team started with sketches to figure out how to turn that idea into a reality, and from there the floor cases became an integral part of the Pavilion experience.

As Natalia Mayo (Project Manager, Experiences) shared, each floor case “is tied to the amazing work of our Explorers, highlighting what they accomplish at the highest peaks to the deepest parts of the ocean, how they make observations and innovate, and how they continue to connect with communities all over the globe.”

Our team deeply researched how bring each story within the case to life by consulting with in-house and external experts. Emma Wynne (Senior Manager of Exhibitions & Experiences) shared that “we had Explorer Pablo "Popi" Garcia Borboroglu review photos of the penguin [in the floor case] and comment on its physiology.”

Plus, each floor case is strategically placed to encourage the Explorer Mindset, the knowledge, skills and abilities Explorers use to creatively solve the world’s most pressing problems. Make sure to look up and down when you visit!

Building the Foundation for Exploration

The museum construction team dove head first into bringing this project to life — which you can imagine was a tad tricky when there were holes in the floor.

Making these cases was a massive undertaking, requiring the construction team to think like explorers themselves. It was a completely custom job where everyone had to get creative.

The Pavilion floor slopes, meaning the space underneath the concrete was inconsistent — some parts had dirt below and others had offices. In true keeping with our work at the National Geographic Society, Kristen shared that “we partnered with a vendor to create a detailed topography map of the entire Pavilion to figure out the best location for each floor case.” This map helped the construction team work around existing building features to bring these stories to life.

Once the custom case openings were created, the team then started to cover the cases with glass to make them truly walkable. The sophisticated three-layer laminated glass buildup with a top layer of seeded glass has subtle bumps for traction to make it safe to walk on so you can truly step into the Explorer Mindset.

Step Into the Explorer Mindset This Summer

The team is excited for you to discover the MOE so soon.

The entire Pavilion is a legacy project built with love by a huge team. It’s designed to be a living, breathing space that helps build and inspire new stories, whether that be a small moment of discovery or inspiring Explorer talks, celebratory events and more hosted in the space.

Rodney the emperor penguin wears a Crittercam, invented by Explorer Greg Marshall, which is designed to capture audio, video and environmental data to study species around the world. A replica of Rodney will be featured in one of our floor cases.

Plus, Emma wants to be sure you check out the penguin Crittercam floor case when you visit. “The penguin Critter Cam floor case is my favorite. The ice and snow theming looks so realistic, and the penguin looks incredible. This one really looks like you're jumping into a frozen scene. Plus, Rodney the penguin and his sassy pose was a running bit amongst the project team.”

We can’t wait to welcome you to your home for exploration soon. If you want to stay up to date on all things the MOE, sign up for the National Geographic Museum of Exploration email newsletter at moe.nationalgeographic.org/en/about/updates to get access to exclusive museum updates, Explorer features and more.