Case Study: How Do Things Work?
As a traveling exhibit, Things Come Apart is a visual investigation of design and engineering. Supported by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), the exhibit embraces STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) concepts. Todd McLellan, a photographer/artist wanted to provide an environment for individuals to explore and dissect some of the most common, useful, and prized possessions such as a Walkman, iPod, sewing machine, mechanical pencil, and the telescope.
The Birthplace of Country Music (BCM) Museum’s Special Exhibits Gallery was recently asked to host How Do Things Work? Typically, this traveling exhibit suggests that facilities dedicate around 2,000 square feet of space for the exhibit, as contents include almost forty photographs, four disassembled objects, one to two video players with monitors, and three hands-on education activity kits. To create a more open space, BCM museum facilitators needed to maximize the open space for interaction and facilitation. A suggestion was made to utilize the window areas to create a floating gallery trellis. However, the supportive materials were sensitive to UV exposure and had to be attached to an existing window support structure without the use of extensive retrofits.
| TECHNICAL DATA |
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| Product: Floating Window Gallery Trellis |
| Process: Pultrusion |
Materials & Sizes:
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| For: Birthplace of Country Music Museum |
| User: Birthplace of Country Music Museum |
The museum asked Strongwell to design and provide a lightweight floating window gallery trellis using FRP. Additionally, the customer requested the finished product be painted in a custom Pantone to match the exhibit. The end result of this request was four DURAGRID® I-9000 panels, pultruded with 12-inch cross-rod spacing, from Strongwell’s Chatfield facility. Strongwell’s Bristol facility designed and fabricated supporting brackets and provided 1-1/2" EXTREN® channel mounted to the window ledge as tracks for each vertical window trellis panel.
The customer was extremely pleased with the custom application and attention to detail. They were also pleased with the portability of the panels, as each can be removed and stored to support future gallery exhibits.