BIG, Gehry Partners and Perkins&Will are among the five studios that have been selected as finalists in a contest to design the future National Museum of the US Navy.

US governmental agency Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) released the winning designs from a competition launched to explore potential designs for the museum, which called for an expansion building for the institution's collections.

According to consulting firm MGAC, which facilitated the contest, the prompt included requirements that the building be "modern" and "public facing" with six primary design areas including an atrium and marque gallery that include "the use of macro artifacts".

Though it is yet unclear how the design will be selected or implemented, the winning designs were all informed by the US Navy Yards in DC, including BIG's, which features five slender buildings with metallic roofs that will sit on top of the water.

"As a Dane and a resident of a houseboat – a Norwegian ferry I converted into my family home – to imagine a museum for the United States Navy is a true labor of love!" said BIG founder Bjarke Ingels.

"The five buildings flow together to form an epic atrium cascading from the roof to the ground where all exhibitions will be visually and physically accessible upon arrival."

"This massive space will also serve as the majestic setting for ceremonies honoring those who served," he continued.

Also among the winning designs was Gehry Partners' concept. This design comprised a large rectangular structure with a green roof interspersed with a glass ceiling.

Large, boxy forms would fill the interior of the structure like buildings within the primary envelope, protruding from a void in the glass roof.

Perkins&Will's design includes a series of "sail-like shapes" for the building's envelope.

"Our concept places visitors at the intersection of the three elemental forces—land, sea, and air –that shape the US Navy," said the studio's global design director Ralph Johnson.

"It's a tangible expression of the Navy’s honor, courage, and commitment."

The design includes a ceremonial courtyard and an atrium informed by the "hull of ships".

New York design studio DLR Group's design was also selected and features a sculptural envelope that comes to a dramatic point like the bow of a ship and has a large swathe of glass on the facade that would allow passersby to see suspended airplanes on the interior.

Finally, Maryland studio Quinn Evans contributed a design that comprised a complex of boxy forms.

A spokesperson for the project told Dezeen that the final site for the new buildings has not been decided on.

MGAC also said that the museum is looking into "the potential renovation of existing historical buildings" to go along with the designs.

Other similar museums planned for the United States include Gensler's Flight Test Museum in California, which was designed to look like the wings of aircraft.