This museum courtyard designed by Foster + Partners and Buro Happold, opens tomorrow at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC.

The scheme’s undulating glass roof is America’s answer to the British Museum’s Great Court, which was designed by the same double act. Landscaped with mature trees by Kathryn Gustafson, it is an oasis within a hectic city and its harsh climate. Installed by Gartner, the 3,500m2 roof is made up of 862 glass panes and is entirely supported on eight steel columns.