Located on the site of the no longer extant Fort Zekiah — a late 17th-century fort built by the indigenous Piscataway people — SM+P’s design balances a public-facing cultural museum with a private tribal community centre for the Piscataway Conoy Tribe. The design evolved in close collaboration with the Piscataway Conoy Tribal Council, following their vision and concepts central to their tribal heritage and values. The building folds into the hillside with retaining walls creating edges for green roofs, allowing visitors to circulate around and over its levels. Two entrances were oriented with Tribal Council guidance: the museum faces north; the private tribal entrance faces east to the morning light. One of the most meaningful and unusual projects in SM+P’s portfolio.