A Tradition of Excellence in Films about the Natural and Built Environment

Since 2003, the National Building Museum has been proud to partner with the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital to screen excellent films related to both the natural and built environments. Below is a sample of some of the films shown over the last five years.

Past Programs

Urbanized
March 22, 2012
Over half the world’s population now lives in urban areas, and 75% will call a city home by 2050. This feature-length documentary is about the design of cities. It looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world’s foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers. Urbanized frames a global discussion on the future of cities.

How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster?
March 21, 2012
D.C. Premiere! How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster? traces the rise of one of the world’s premier architects, Norman Foster, and his quest to improve the quality of life through design. The film portrays how his dreams and influences inspired the design of emblematic projects such as the Beijing Airport, the Hearst Building in New York City, and the tallest bridge in the world, located in Millau, France.

Loblolly House, Cellophane House + Rick Joy: Interludes
March 20, 2011
KieranTimberlake, an architectural firm based in Philadelphia, is a recognized leader of the green architecture movement in the U.S. Rick Joy, an architect based in Tucson, Arizona, owes his reputation to his innovative residential designs that respond gracefully to their desert environment. An introduction by green architecture expert and Museum curator Susan Piedmont-Palladino preceded this double feature.

Samuel Mockbee and the Spirit of the Rural Studio
March 17, 2011
This documentary film explores the late architect Samuel Mockbee (1944–2001) and the radical educational design/build program known as the Rural Studio that he co-founded deep in poverty-stricken Hale County, Alabama. A discussion with Sam Wainwright Douglas, the film’s director/producer, followed the film.

Megamall
March 25, 2010
Twelve years in the making, Megamall documents the origins of the massive Palisades Center Mall and its impact on the community of West Nyack, New York. The film gives a rare look at the process and rationales behind mall building. A discussion with the filmmakers followed the film.

Moving Midway
March 18, 2010
In 2004, New York film critic Godfrey Cheshire returned home to North Carolina to find that his cousin planned to move Midway Plantation, the family’s ancestral home. Moving Midway recounts this journey. A discussion with the director/filmmaker followed the film.

Recycled Life
March 21, 2009
Recycled Life follows individuals living in the toxic and dangerous Guatemala City Dump. Following the screening, Daniel Winterbottom, ASLA, associate professor of landscape architecture at the University of Washington, lead a discussion about the film.

The Greening of Southie
March 18, 2009
Set on the rugged streets of South Boston, The Greening of Southie is the story of a revolutionary green building. A discussion with the film’s director Ian Cheney followed the screening.

Designing a Great Neighborhood: Behind the Scenes at Holiday
March 12, 2009
Designing a Great Neighborhood follows the process of creating a zero-emissions, energy-efficient neighborhood.

The Last Wright
March 13, 2008
This evocative film looks at the history of the last standing Frank Lloyd Wright hotel, The Park Inn, in Mason City, Iowa. It was the project Wright was creating during the most turbulent period of his life, when he turned his back on his family and practice and ran off with a client’s wife. This film explores the influence of Japan on the Park Inn as it shows vistas of the Japan Wright loved.

Get National Building Museum news.