Monthly Archives: July 2013

The House

The Reveal

4 Comments

I hope you have enjoyed seeing the progress of The Menokin Project model as it has evolved from a sketch to a finished piece of art.

Harvard Graduate School of Design students Carmine D’Alessandro and Alex Jacobson, and Machado and Silvetti Project Manager Jayne Kang – under the supervision of lead architect, Jorge Silvetti – have delivered a masterpiece of model making that will undoubtedly help The Menokin Foundation take this project to the next level.

We would like to once again express our boundless appreciation to Union First Market Bank for their generous gift that made this all possible.

With no further ado, may I present to you……………….The Model.

A beautiful addition to the Martin Kirwan King Visitor’s Center.
The Menokin Project Model sits on a base of white oak, which is drilled to a topographical accuracy of within .003 of an inch.
The lighting of the model helps illustrate how the interior systems of The Menokin Project work together.
Carmine and Alex demonstrate how to VERY CAREFULLY lift off the cover. DO NOT try this at home.
The three smaller models in the front indicate (from left to right) what currently remains of the original structure, the steel armature, and the interior glass liner.
Additional views of the small models.
A proud moment for the model makers, Alex Jacobson and Carmine D’Alessandro.
The glass on the front of the house is opaque and gradually becomes more transparent as visitors move through the house.
Close up view reveals that we already have visitors in the house!
An interesting juxtaposition: a copy of the original presentation drawing of Menokin done in 1769 (on the bottom right) next to the rehabilitated structure on the left.
The happy culmination of many years of hard work for Executive Director Sarah Pope and Board of Trustees President, Tayloe Murphy.
The House

Menokin Model – Progress Report (Week 4)

Leave a comment

Production of this model was made possible by a generous grant from Union First Market Bank.

Project Progress Reports from:
Jayne Kang | Project Manager, Senior Designer | Machado and Silvetti Associates, LLC

PROGRESS REPORT ITEMS:

Week 4 –07/15/13-07/19/13
Model production:
– Final site model production [routed on the CNC milling machine]
– Laser cut all final parts of the assembly [i.e. rainscreen, armature for 1/16” models]
– Run lighting tests with the assembled 3/16” model
– Produce a test for the plaque that will be placed on the final model
– Run final tests for the liner’s gradient
– Preliminary fit-out of the entire assembly

ROUTING THE MODEL

Preparing the wood for the router.
Routing in action.
Alex dusting off the site model that has been just routed on the CNC machine.

ASSEMBLY

Carmine and Alex preparing for a preliminary fit-out for lighting tests and final assembly.
North View of House positioned in the site model base.
South View of House positioned in the site model base.
Detail of the Polyjet printed armature fitting into the Zcorp model.

LET THERE BE LIGHT!

Preliminary lighting test on overall assembly to calibrate the liner’s opacity, brightness and the overall ambiance.
Preliminary lighting test on overall assembly to calibrate the liner’s opacity, brightness and the overall ambiance.
The House, The Northern Neck and Beyond

Drum Roll, Please

Leave a comment

The model is finished.

!!!!

It was delivered to Menokin this morning by Alex Jacobson and Carmine D’Alessandro, the Harvard Graduate School of Design students, who constructed it under the supervision of Jorge Silvetti. They drove it down, under the cover of darkness, from Boston arriving late last night in Tappahannock.

Here is a sneak peak. But you’ll have to wait until next week to see the model. Why? Because I’m mean. And I want you to salivate!

Heading down the Menokin lane toward the Visitor’s Center.
Carmine peaks under the wrapping to make sure the model survived the trip unscathed.
All 200+ pounds of model are hefted into the visitor’s center.
The unveiling begins…..
Thanks again to Union First Market Bank for making all of this possible!
The House

Menokin Model – Progress Report (Week 3-Part II)

Leave a comment

Production of this model was made possible by a generous grant from Union First Market Bank.

Project Progress Reports from:
Jayne Kang | Project Manager, Senior Designer | Machado and Silvetti Associates, LLC

PROGRESS REPORT ITEMS:
Week 3 – Part II: 07/08/13-07/12/13
Model production:
– Final modeling adjustments to the armature model for printer
– Final digital site model adjustments for running tool paths
– Selection, purchase, lamination, drying and sanding of wood for the site model
– Model to be routed on Tuesday, July 16.
– 3D prints for House armature go to printer Monday
– 1/16” model pieces out for final print Monday

Reference image of the site model from last week’s Progress Report.
Sketch [by Alex] of the overall construction strategy for the site model, its base, and the Plexiglass encasement.
Alex at the Anderson Quaid Co, Inc. purchasing site model wood.
Carmine cutting down wood planks to uniform dimension.
Carmine cutting down wood planks to uniform dimension.
After carefully inspecting the White Oak boards and selecting the desired visual gradient for the adjacent pieces, Alex and Carmine laminated the boards together; first, in groups of three, and then as a final monolithic block.
The laminated block of wood was then carefully clamped to a sturdy work surface, in order to ensure successful binding and prevent bowing in any single sheet of wood. The process of drying took about 48 hours.

That’s a lot of clamps!

View the previous Progress Report here.

The House

Menokin Model – Progress Report (Week 3-Part I)

Leave a comment

Production of this model was made possible by a generous grant from Union First Market Bank.

Project Progress Reports from:
Jayne Kang | Project Manager, Senior Designer | Machado and Silvetti Associates, LLC

PROGRESS REPORT ITEMS:
Week 3 – Part I: 07/01/13-07/03/13
Material, Assembly and Visual Testing (liner, rainscreen, historic walls, etc)
– North Elevation Full-Assembly Study [continued]
– Typical Armature Corner and Roof Rainscreen Assembly Study
– Test prints of different woods for the site base Model production:
– Final 3/16” ZCorb Print – Final 1/16” ZCorb Prints [Existing(x1)], Proposed (x2)]
– Final modeling adjustments to the armature model for printer

Included in this progress report are digital renderings and photos that document two major efforts made in the course of this short week, which involved:

1) finalizing the quality of material and level of resolution in the site model, with consideration to cost and aesthetics; and

This model is to represent the concept design that was submitted and approved in March 2013. We decided to lightly reflect the concepts of the Landcape Architects - Reed Hilldebrand - in the model, using a homogeneous material palette.
This model is to represent the concept design that was submitted and approved in March 2013. We decided to lightly reflect the concepts of the team’s Cultural Landcape Architects – Reed Hillderbrand – in the model, using a homogeneous material palette.

White oak (second from bottom) was the winner!

White oak (second from bottom) was the winner!

2) studies of various isolated assembly details (i.e. mechanical connections, lighting, aesthetic effects when combining the layered elements) in order to come up with something that is clean, most accurately representative, stable and has the best visual effect.

See the first progress report here.

The House, The Landscape, The Northern Neck and Beyond

Summer is in full bloom at Menokin

1 Comment

If you are planning to shoot summer photos for the Menokin “Seasons” Photo Contest, now is a great time to come.

Here’s a link to the contest rules and application.

Field scabious, or Knautia arvensis may be found in dry fields, grassy places, and flowers between July and September
The Menokin butterfly garden, under the care of the Northern Neck Master Naturalists, is gorgeous this year. Full and lush, it is a nectar smorgasbord for our winged friends.
This tiger swallowtail is enjoying his early bird special.
Black eyed susan, or Rudbeckia hirta, with other common names, such as Brown-eyed Susan or Brown Betty.
Have you ever tried to take a picture of a hummingbird moth? They don’t hold still at all.
This bee knows its balm. Monardas or Bergamots are wild flowers in the mint family, widespread and abundant in much of North America. Flower colors can range from pink to lilac, scarlet or deep red/purple.
Eastern purple coneflower, or Echinacea purpurea. It’s cone-shaped flowering heads are usually, but not always, purple.
The House

The Menokin Project Model is in the Making

6 Comments

The Menokin Foundation is pleased to announce that it has received a generous $25,000 grant from Union First Market Bank to fund the building of a scaled architectural model of the Foundation’s Menokin Project.

The finished model, which will be used in the Foundation’s educational and public awareness initiatives, is being fabricated by the internationally-recognized architecture firm of Machado and Silvetti Associates, LLC.  The model is based upon Machado and Silvetti’s concept design for the rehabilitation of the Menokin ruins—once home to Declaration of Independence signer, Francis Lightfoot Lee—into an exhibition and conservation center that provides a revolutionary approach to the study of history, architecture, the arts, and conservation.

The design incorporates developing new systems to support and combine architectural glass with the remaining historic fabric. This strategic rehabilitation will accurately represent the shape and volume of this 18th-century National Historic Landmark.

Production for the model is currently underway, and is scheduled to be completed in early August.  Several students from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, who recently participated in a studio class focusing solely on Menokin, are assisting Machado and Silvetti on the model fabrication as summer interns.

Construction of the model uses Computer-numerically-controlled (CNC) machine tools. These tools require sophisticated CAD/CAM software to translate three-dimensional models into simple text files that directly control tool motion through combinations of linear and rotational motion. The images below illustrate this 3-D printing process in action.

Digital Model Preparation for 3D Printing.
Test Print of the North Facade of the 3/16” House Model.
Material Tests for Gradient Treatment of the Liner.
The process of excavating the 3/16” scale base model from the ZCorb 3D printer.
The process of excavating the 3/16” scale base model from the ZCorb 3D printer.
Dining Room Mantle Detail.