Engineer's
exhibition heads to the University Art Museum
An art museum is not the first location that
comes to mind when one thinks of engineers and their structural
designs. But David P. Billington '50, Gordon Y.S. Wu Professor
of Engineering, may just change that thought process.
At right, Liz Grau '03
works on a model for the upcoming art exhibit "The
Art of Structural Design: A Swiss Legacy."
Below, Maria Janaro,
a second-year graduate student, recreates Isler's
thin-shell concrete forms.
Photos
by Ann Haver-Allen
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Professor Billington
is guest curator of "The
Art of Structural Design: A Swiss Legacy," an exhibition
that will run from March 8 through June 15, 2003, at
the Princeton University Art Museum.
This exhibition celebrates
the contributions of four Swiss engineers
who are recognized for both the
quality of their work and the artistry of their designs.
The exhibition will feature original drawings as well as
photographs and models of the work of Robert Maillart,
Othmar Ammann, Heinz Isler, and Christian
Menn as well as their teachers Wilhelm Ritter and Pierre
Lardy.
Professor Billington enlisted the help of
five undergraduate students and four graduate students
to research and build the models that will be on exhibit.
Ryan Woodward *02 traveled to Switzerland
this summer to photograph the structures of Maillart and
Menn and to conduct research on Pierre Lardy, teacher of
both Isler and Menn.
Michael Barelli '02 scoured archives in New
York City for rare photographs and materials related to
the exhibition and is preparing a paper on Amman and the
evolution of the Bronx Whitestone Bridge.
Joshua White '04 and Courtney Clark '03 used
Pro/Engineer to design and manufacture their models. Courtney,
the team's authority on Menn, created small-scale Felsenau
and Sunniberg bridges, while Joshua, the Ammann expert,
built models of the Bayonne and George Washington bridges.
Elizabeth Grau '03 used AutoCAD
to make computer versions of Maillart's Salginatobel and
Vessy bridges and to cut the tiny Plexiglas® components
of both models.
Maria Janaro, a second-year graduate student,
recreated Isler's thin-shell concrete forms. Richard Ellis
*02 was instrumental in assisting Maria with the wooden
frames for her models.
Joseph Vocaturo, director of labs for the
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, oversaw
the building of the models.
William Cooch '03 created elegant drawings
that will be reproduced in the book that will accompany
the exhibition.
Chelsea Honigmann
*02 and Nathan Arrington '02 worked closely with Professor
Billington
and Jill Guthrie, managing editor in the Art Museum's publications
office, to obtain and organize more than 200 photographs
for the publication.
The museum is open
to the public free of charge. For further information,
call (609) 258-3788, or visit
the museum Web site: www.princetonartmuseum.org.
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