Thursday, February 14, 2013

Creating the right casework

The model is progressing nicely and pretty soon it is going to need something to hold it.  This is where casework comes in.  The casework you see in museums is many times built to house specific objects and artifacts.  Our casework for the model is no different, and we wanted to make it as accessible as possible.
First and foremost, the casework will be the proper height and have the proper reach for visitors who use wheelchairs, for those who have a smaller stature and children according to ADA specifications.  The casework will also be tactile though for our visitors who are blind or have low vision!  The same preparator who has been working on the model, Ian, came up with the idea of having the shape of the Planetarium itself sticking out on the sides of the casework so visitors can experience what the shape of the the building they are standing in feels like, since it has such a unique shape!  

 I quickly drew up what this will look like when complete:
A computer rendering of the model is shown sitting on a black box for the case work with a white version of the planetarium raised about an inch out that wraps around the corner. The shape of the planetarium is a single-sheet hyperboloid which looks like someone took a tube and pulled out the bottom to be very wide and the top to be about half as wide as the bottom with a bottle neck effect about one-third of the way down from the top. Half of this image is on the front of the box and the other half wraps around the right side. On top of the casework sits the model which has a 24" diameter base that is grey with the mini Zeiss of an oval ball on stilts in front of eight vertical boxes (all of the Zeiss is a dark teal). The half dome extends about 20 inches above and is black. There is a purple wall between the dome and floor which is about two inches high. Next to this model are the graphics and exhibit text for the model which in this drawing are represented as tan rectangles. There are three measurements off the casework that show it is 36" tall by 36" wide and 36" inches long.
The Front View

A computer rendering of the model is shown sitting on a black box for the case work from the top down. On top of the casework sits the model which has a 24" diameter base that is grey with the mini Zeiss of an oval ball on stilts in front of eight vertical boxes (all of the Zeiss is a dark teal). The half dome extends about 20 inches above and is black. There is a purple wall between the dome and floor which is about two inches high. Next to this model are the graphics and exhibit text for the model which in this drawing are represented as tan rectangles. There are three measurements off the casework that show it is 36" tall by 36" wide and 36" inches long.
The Top View

A computer rendering of the model is shown sitting on a black box for the case work from the bottom down. The casework is hollow showing the four casters that it is sitting on and the wood on the inside as the inside remains uncovered by paint or laminate. There are three measurements off the casework that show it is 36" tall by 36" wide and 36" inches long.
Bottom View

It's a brilliant idea and I think it will make a great addition to the whole program!
Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)