Making the Medal of Honor Museum, with Bassam Komati
Is a museum where experiences happen — or is the museum the experience?
Can a museum be designed to inspire? What is the Medal of Honor? What role does a bold design idea have in making a project happen? Does the mission of a museum inspire the people who make it? Can everyone have a mission?
Bassam Komati, AIA OEAB (Partner, Viñoly Architects) discusses “Making the Medal of Honor Museum” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio).
Along the way: floating blocks, extra helicopters, and going above and beyond the call of duty.
Talking Points:
1. What is the Medal of Honor?
2. A Museum Meant to Inspire
3. The Origin of a Design Idea
4. A Tour of the Museum
5. A Building Team Inspired by a Cause
6. Everybody Can Have a Mission
How to Listen:
Listen on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311
Listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G
Listen at Making the Museum, the Website:
https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast
Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor:
https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/
Guest Bio:
Bassam Komati, AIA OEAB, joined Rafael Viñoly Architects in 2006 and became a partner in 2019, contributing to major projects on four continents. He collaborated closely with Rafael Viñoly on conceptual designs, leading design development and coordination through digital and BIM platforms. As Partner-in-Charge of the National Medal of Honor Museum in Texas, he has led all phases since the firm’s 2019 competition win. His portfolio includes London’s Battersea Power Station Master Plan, NYU Abu Dhabi, and projects in corporate, commercial, research, and healthcare sectors. He holds degrees from Harvard University and the American University of Beirut and speaks internationally on architecture.
About Making the Museum:
Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio.
Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/
Links for This Episode:
Bassam Komati
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bassam-komati-562a11154/
National Medal of Honor Museum
Website: https://mohmuseum.org
Instagram: @mohmuseum
Rafael Viñoly Architects
Website: https://vinoly.com
Project page: https://vinoly.com/works/national-medal-honor-museum/
Instagram: @rva_ny
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rafael-vinoly-architects/
Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast:
Contact Making the Museum:
https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact
Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger
Email Jonathan Alger:
alger@cgpartnersllc.com
C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:
https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/
Making the Museum, the Newsletter:
Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.)
Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management.
Subscribe to the newsletter:
https://www.makingthemuseum.com/
Can a museum be designed to inspire? What is the Medal of Honor? What role does a bold design idea have in making a project happen? Does the mission of a museum inspire the people who make it? Can everyone have a mission?
Bassam Komati, AIA OEAB (Partner, Viñoly Architects) discusses “Making the Medal of Honor Museum” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio).
Along the way: floating blocks, extra helicopters, and going above and beyond the call of duty.
Talking Points:
1. What is the Medal of Honor?
2. A Museum Meant to Inspire
3. The Origin of a Design Idea
4. A Tour of the Museum
5. A Building Team Inspired by a Cause
6. Everybody Can Have a Mission
How to Listen:
Listen on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311
Listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G
Listen at Making the Museum, the Website:
https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast
Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor:
https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/
Guest Bio:
Bassam Komati, AIA OEAB, joined Rafael Viñoly Architects in 2006 and became a partner in 2019, contributing to major projects on four continents. He collaborated closely with Rafael Viñoly on conceptual designs, leading design development and coordination through digital and BIM platforms. As Partner-in-Charge of the National Medal of Honor Museum in Texas, he has led all phases since the firm’s 2019 competition win. His portfolio includes London’s Battersea Power Station Master Plan, NYU Abu Dhabi, and projects in corporate, commercial, research, and healthcare sectors. He holds degrees from Harvard University and the American University of Beirut and speaks internationally on architecture.
About Making the Museum:
Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio.
Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/
Links for This Episode:
Bassam Komati
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bassam-komati-562a11154/
National Medal of Honor Museum
Website: https://mohmuseum.org
Instagram: @mohmuseum
Rafael Viñoly Architects
Website: https://vinoly.com
Project page: https://vinoly.com/works/national-medal-honor-museum/
Instagram: @rva_ny
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rafael-vinoly-architects/
Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast:
Contact Making the Museum:
https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact
Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger
Email Jonathan Alger:
alger@cgpartnersllc.com
C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:
https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/
Making the Museum, the Newsletter:
Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.)
Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management.
Subscribe to the newsletter:
https://www.makingthemuseum.com/
