Museum Monday

If you follow us on Instagram, you know that we spent the month of August highlighting some of our favorite Museum projects. Museums benefit society by fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of culture and heritage while also celebrating knowledge, history, and diversity. They are examples of humans operating at their highest capacity and we're proud to support them as structural, geotechnical, and preservation engineers.

Museum projects’ needs and scopes vary, but often include vibration control, reinforcing for high localized loads, moisture management, thermal isolation, and management of structure-borne noise. It is often important to achieve the desired scope while maintaining a structure’s character-defining features, especially in the case of historic structures.

The Museums featured below highlight only a fraction of the museums we have been fortunate to interact with. These projects are representative of past and present work, and the continued relationships we foster with Museums.

LancasterHistory.Org is a LEED® Silver building in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. GNCB provided structural engineering services for the 20,000 SF building which features an open-loop geothermal well system, rooftop PV panels, a well-insulated envelope, and sensitive landscaping to protect nearby bodies of water. The structure incorporates a variety of systems including a structural steel frame with precast hollow care plank and reinforced concrete masonry unit shear walls. The iconic sawtooth roof is constructed of engineered glulam beams.

Related Links: Centerbrook Architects , LancasterHistory.Org , U.S. Green Building Council

GNCB has worked with the Barnum Museum since 2010 when the Museum was hit by an EF1 tornado. Subsequently, in 2011 and 2012, the Museum was impacted by Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy, respectively. The Museum is the only remaining museum dedicated to the life of P.T. Barnum, a fact made even more significant with the closure of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in May 2017. The eclectic building was constructed in 1893 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The stabilization and renovation of the Museum is taking place in multiple phases due to funding availability. To date, work includes stabilization of the outward-bowing east wall and roof, and stabilization of the major dome.

Related Links: The Barnum Museum , Connecticut Main Street , Moss Preservation Works, Antinozzi Associates PC , Landmark Facilities Group

Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University is dedicated to the Irish Famine during which as many as 1 million people perished and another 1 million people emigrated to escape poverty and starvation. GNCB provided structural engineering services for this building which houses the largest collection of Great Hunger-related art in the world.

Related Links: Leonard Wyeth Architects , Quinnipiac University , Ireland Great Hunger Museum

Everybody who is anybody has read #TheVeryHungryCaterpillar . If you are a lover of Eric Carle’s work, we hope you and your family have had the opportunity to visit the Carle Museum in Amherst, MA. GNCB was the structural and geotechnical engineer for the 40,000 SF museum which houses illustrations, art galleries, and art studio, a theater, and two libraries.

Related Links: Juster Pope Frazier LLC Architects , Eric Carle Museum , Eric Carle