Design Studio 3 - Glenn Curtiss Museum

Katy Swank ARCH 5306 Design Studio 3

The Glenn Curtiss Museum View of War Planes Gallery

NARRATIVE

Katy Swank ARCH 5306 Design Studio 3 After visiting the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, NY it was immediately apparent that the galleries lacked organization and purpose. The current museum was far from representative of the incredible innovator and engineer that Glenn Curtiss had once been. The goal of the new museum was to create an exciting and engaging space for visitors to learn about the incredible man Glenn Curtiss had been and create an experience that people would want to return to again.

My design for the New Glenn Curtiss Museum began with diagramming the experience of flight, an experience that can be broken into five phases, each with its own set of emotions. The essence of each phase is shown in the partí diagram. A grounded beginning, leading to the ascent into the air, followed by a time of flight, then descent again to the ground. The early form of the building took on the physical representation of this experience. The plane gallery was developed to be the elevated box in the partí diagram, so visitors would feel as if they were in flight along with the exhibited planes. The bicycle gallery was developed following the same partí of elevation. Curtiss’s most famous motorcycle, the V8, was given a place of prominence, elevated above the rest of the bicycles and display cases.

The form of the building went through many stages of re-development as a result of operational and structural constraints. The final form of the plane galleries became a series of glass boxes cantilevered off a central core. Patrons have the opportunity to explore the galleries as they ascend higher and higher into the air. The multiple levels allow visitors to observe the planes both from below and at eye level.

Along the way patrons are able to step outside the gallery and enjoy the view of Keuka Lake. The core of the building allows for circulation and small gallery space on the 3rd and 4th levels.

Recreating the experience of flight became the driving factor in the design of the museum. The moment a patron arrives and steps out of their car they are on a runway preparing for their ascent into the air. The museum is laid on an axis that directs visitors passed the C-46, through the lobby and small gallery spaces, and up the accessible escalator bringing them into the main gallery space. Multiple vantage points are available to observe the aircraft. From the lowest level a visitor is able to look up and see the planes on the highest level. The museum was designed to be a space to explore. The escalator, interlocking boxes, and exterior viewing decks allow for an exciting and educational experience unlike any other, that visitors will remember and want to experience over and over again.

View of Motorcycle Gallery

PROCESS

Katy Swank ARCH 5306 Design Studio 3

View of Walking Path (South)

Final Form

SITE

Katy Swank ARCH 5306 Design Studio 3

Site Model

Site Plan

Section

Site Model

Katy Swank ARCH 5306 Design Studio 3

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PLANS

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1. LOBBY 2.ORIENTATION ROOM 3. GIFT SHOP 4. BICYCLE GALLERY 5. FLORIDA GALLERY 6. COAT ROOM 7. JANITOR'S CLOSET 8. EMPLOYEE ENTRANCE 9. ELEVATOR MECH ROOM 10. EXHIBIT PREPARATION 11. RESTORATION SHOP 12. DIRTY WOTRKSHOP 13. STORAGE 14. SHIPPING/RECEIVING 15. STORAGE 16. TEMPORARY GALLERY

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LIBRARY OFFICES STORAGE DIRECTOR'S OFFICE EMPLOYEE LOUNGE BOARD ROOM MECHANICAL EARLY PLANES AMERICA SEA PLANES ELEVATOR MECH ROOM JANITOR'S CLOSET

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Katy Swank ARCH 5306 Design Studio 3 LEVEL 3 29.

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EARLY PLANES MEZZANINE AMERICA MEZZANINE SEAPLANES MEZZANINE LARGE MEETING ROOM FOOD PREPARATION

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33. WAR PLANES 34. CONSUMER PLANES 35. SMALL GALLERY

36. WAR PLANES MEZZANINE 37. CONSUMER PLANES MEZZANINE 38. SMALL GALLERY

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STRUCTURE

Katy Swank ARCH 5306 Design Studio 3

Structural Model Wall Section through America and Consumer Plane Gallery