National Skydive Museum; visionary renderings

[JovialChris 0]

Skydivers,

I’ve decided to take the time to polish up and post a few museum renderings that have been sitting on my hard drive collecting dust for a while. Back when the initial call to the skydiving community was made for support (a few years past now), as a maturing architect out of college, I took the opportunity to create a design proposal, forwarding a model concept to the USPA.

The original site was somewhere in rural VA adjacent to I-95. A new airport was to be funded by the state of VA. They were looking for corporate tenants to make the project viable. As the project evolved and the risk was assessed, USPA steered away from an airport siting and purchased a parcel within a burgeoning business development. This property is adjacent to a major interstate highway, giving the opportunity for the architecture to serve as a major focal point to the vehicular passerby, beckoning the question, whuffo?

So, as it goes, with the minimal dollar and in the name of the dream sustaining progress, the museum architecture, instead of punctuating the acquisition, seemed to have devolved into a lifeless composition of monotone concrete pre-cast panels and generic geometry:

http://www.nationalskydivingmuseum.org/MUSEUMPROJECT.htm

While this economical composition may fit in nicely with its business park context and dull overcast sky as seen in the rendering link, I would argue that the Board of Trustees should steer away from this solution, taking a more dynamic approach for the architectural concept for this project. An approach that powerfully reflects the spirit of the USA, the enticing procession of skydiving as well as the sky itself.

I’ve attempted to exemplify these concepts in an earlier proposal sent to the USPA, which in good fun I’ve refined while learning to use Accurender, a 3-D architectural rendering program in my career progression:

http://flickr.com/photos/jovial-chris/sets/72157594492916863/

CLICK on the thumbnailed pictures for a narrative description and/or the “view slideshow” link to walk you through the project.


With overwhelming respect to the late, great Bill Ottley, USPA, Trustees and all who have worked/are working so hard to keep this vision a reality, I must say, let’s step it up in the way of aesthetics!

The museum should not only house the history, but exemplify the current dynamics, drawing a new generation of skydivers in the name of tomorrow. The geometry should point toward and beckon curiosity of the sky; it should not be grounded to the earth with the implication of mortality. The place looks like a tomb! I realize that fundraising and execution of a project of this magnitude is not easy, but let’s not settle for a sub-minor league product in place of a major league sport!

D-23671

JovialChris

I'm Lost! Which way to the Prairie?

[JerryBaumchen 1,048]

Hi Jovial,

Very interesting; you must have been paying attention in class.

If it were going to be in your vision I would think it could also be a national training center??????

Looks very good and does what you said it should,

Jerry