Client: American Museums & Gardens Structural Engineer: Format EngineersLocation: Bath, United Kingdom
Date: 2023-06-01 00:00:00 +0000 UTCTags: Timber, Shell, Canopy, Membrane, Digital Design, Parametric Design, CNC
American Museum
The American Museum & Gardens are a popular attraction on the rural outskirts of the city of Bath. The trustees of the museum engaged us to design and to Engineer a canopy for an original American 1830’s Conestoga Wagon whilst it undergoes conservation. The canopy would then remain in place to protect the wagon from the lemons whilst it was on display.
After a considering a number of concept designs the client chose our concept of a ‘woven’ timber plank shell with a fabric lightly tensioned on the inside.
The timber was intended to be harvested from the site itself and used a number digital modelling techniques to ensure the elements were simple to fabricate and to construct despite the seemly complex form. Our design included integrated timber seating for the public, giving sweeping views across the countryside to Freshford Valley.