Thoughts_Initial Review Reflections

After a fairly successful first review its time to take off with the conceptual design phase of our museum of steel project. Parts of our presentation are available in some of the earlier posts on our research. Here is a brief recap of the advice/criticism we obtained from the review:

On the Timeline: In general, the feedback received on the timeline was that some parts of the history of Pittsburgh/Steel could go deeper. Information about all of the supporting industries around the steel industry, such as coal and ore mining, was requested. It was also suggested that we take the history of steel construction back farther exploring the Iron Bridge (one of the world’s first steel bridge constructions) and the invention of the steel beam. The next step for us may be taking a little time to revise the timeline. To view the current timeline, click here.

On the design phase: Several helpful suggestions were made for how to proceed with all the research we have collected. Different ways of organizing and prioritizing our information will help us make design decisions. Some of the questions to consider: 1) Could the timeline be used to organize the structure of the museum? 2) Can the original locations of rail lines and buildings on the site be used as a means of traffic flow/organization? 3) How do we address the monumentality of industrial architecture? 4) How can we show the history of steel construction through the design of the museum? 5) Should the story be organized in a chronological way or by subject? 6) How can we engage the waterfront more successfully? All of these questions should be considered and prioritized in the next steps of our collaboration.

Further case studies/investigations: Museum in Chattanooga, the Iron Bridge, Aquarium in Chattanooga, the works of Charles Eames, the mining process essential to the steel industry, and pre-engineered bridge truss design

As mentioned earlier we will now begin to organize everything we have gathered into a set of design principles, perhaps in the form of a written document, which we can all reference later in the project to help make logical design decisions.