THE HANGER

The given program was to design an aviation museum sited on an inlet in Ithaca, New York that would be closely related to the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum located in Hammondsport, New York. I designed a long, industrial tube that conceptually connects the two sides of the inlet on which it rests. A visitor first approaches the building through a recess in the facade, entering into a space characterized by a central core of programmatic elements——gift shop, repair shop, mechanical room, and offices——and two walls of exhibition space in which smaller display pieces, such as Curtiss motorcycles and engines, sit between members of the building’s exposed structure. Once one reaches the end of this level, they enter into a large, open space where the main exhibition is housed. This space features two large skylights and rows of artificial lighting that are attached to the exposed truss structure, allowing for a versatile lighting experience. On the Southeast facade, an opening, which primarily remains closed, allows curators to bring planes into the space and add an extra light source. Within this main level are two hanging platforms which house exhibition pieces and a cafe as well as a catwalk allowing one to view the hanging planes up close. These platforms are hung within the space so as to allow this exhibition area to read as one continuous space within which these added levels are simply “floating.”