The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s recent blog post features The Menokin Project. Thanks to Meghan O’Connor for an excellent article.
Meghan was one of a group of four interns from American University that assisted the Foundation with interpretation strategies and ideas.
Truth be told, the thought to compare the two had never occurred to me.
But it did occur to Ed Slipek, Senior Contributing Editor of Style Weekly Magazine when he recently visited the Menokin Revealed exhibit at the Virginia Center for Architecture.
In his article Material World in the current issue, Slipek focuses on the importance of making the open call for plans and ideas when undertaking a large project such as the Shockoe Bottom proposed baseball stadium.
The lesson of ‘Ruins, Memory and the Imagination: Menokin Revealed‘ is: How do we know a good solutions unless they’re set up against alternatives? Wouldn’t it be great to have 11 more design proposals for Shockoe Bottom? The process might make us crazy, but then again, it could produce something quite worthwhile.
While Menokin Revealed was an academic exercise for the Harvard Graduate School of Design students of The Menokin Project’s lead architect, Jorge Silvetti, their ideas and images are thought provoking and inspiring.
In the spring of 2013, architecture professor Jorge Silvetti led twelve Harvard Graduate School of Design students through an exploration of the complex design and interpretive questions surrounding the c. 1769 Menokin site.
Discover the students’ innovative solutions for the evocative crumbling ruins and surrounding landscape at this 500-acre site in Virginia’s Northern Neck.
This exhibit will feature images of the final concept presentations of the students of the spring studio course. Curated by Jorge Silvetti, the show will feature graphics designed by Carmine D’Alessandro and custom exhibit panels designed and produced by Forrest French.
Visitors will be introduced to the exhibition with an overview of The Menokin Project, putting the work of the students into context of the revolutionary thinking that Menokin inspires. It’s easy to understand that inspiration when reading the observations of the students during their time here…
Bios of the students and descriptions of the Design Program at Harvard in which they participate will also be highlighted.
The exhibit will run from January 30th until April 27th at the Virginia Center for Architecture in Richmond, VA.
Once the home of Declaration of Independence signer Francis Lightfoot Lee, now the evocative crumbling ruins of an 18th century mansion in Virginia’s Northern Neck, Menokin aspires to a future like no other among American Revolutionary sites and conservation efforts.
Menokin is a multi-faceted place, rich in heritage and stories. The site spans 500 acres of land in close proximity to Washington, DC and other major cities and historic sites. At its center is the revolutionary rehabilitation of the Menokin house.
Remaining historical elements and some extracted structural materials from the house will be reinstalled, along with the beautiful woodwork that was removed before the house collapsed in the 1960s. The missing exterior walls, roof, and floors will be recreated in glass and steel to protect the remaining historic fabric, to restore volume and space, and to provide exhibit areas.
Architect Jorge Silvetti and his internationally known firm of Machado and Silvetti Associates leads an interdisciplinary team that has developed our plan. The Glass Project serves as the ultimate case-study in architectural innovation and moves beyond just breaking the mold of the traditional historic house museum. The real potential of Menokin lies in the opportunity to approach its preservation and interpretation in a truly innovative and revolutionary way, embodying the spirit of the place and Francis Lightfoot Lee himself.
Well, officially we’re not IN the glass house yet. But it is certainly in us, as well as within a dedicated group of supporters and friends who came to the official Menokin Project Model unveiling party on Friday, October 4th.
Menokin Trustees and staff, Union First Market Bank Officers and Board Members, and guests, gathered on the lawn at the house site to celebrate the arrival of the model in style.
Designed and fabricated by Machado and Silvetti Associates, LLC, the model will play a significant role in teaching about, and raising money for, the strategic rehabilitation of this National Historic Landmark.
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.
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
ASSEMBLY
LET THERE BE LIGHT!
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!
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
![Sketch [by Alex] of the overall construction strategy for the site model, its base, and the Plexiglass encasement.](https://menokin.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/progress_3_b.jpg?w=233&h=233&crop=1 "Progress_3_b")
That’s a lot of clamps!
View the previous Progress Report here.
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
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.
Menokin: Rubble With A Cause 