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.
SO Cool!!!