Virginia Tech Architecture Program takes on Springsong
If you had free rein to design a museum, what would it look like?
Last fall, 12 students had the opportunity to do exactly that. Our Executive Director Rebecca Henson had the pleasure of working with undergraduate and graduate students from the architecture design studio of the Virginia Tech School of Architecture to develop proposals for the future design of Springsong Museum. After visiting the site in September, students worked on their projects throughout the semester, culminating in a final student presentation.
The future building, once a historic water filtration center, posed a unique challenge design-wise, as students sought to utilize the existing structure while remaining cognizant of the site’s geological and cultural significance, including the history of the Nacotchtank / Anacostan peoples and traces of eighteenth-century mills. Additionally, the building’s location in the bustling greater Washington D.C. area and its function as a trailhead for the beautiful Northwest Branch were distinctive features students took on. These seemingly contrasting elements—urban and natural, local and global—are part of what makes Springsong Museum so remarkableEmbracing these different facets speaks to Rachel Carson’s reach as a figure and her boundless impact.
Carson's final book, The Sense of Wonder, served as inspiration for students Ishmam Chowdhury, Nicolaas DeGrood, Noah Grahmann, Julia Hodges, Neha Kumawat, Ana Licon Lopez, Shruti Makale, Emma Menzies, Clara Reed, Zoe Safanda, Gabbi Stewart, and Yvonne Wu throughout the design process. Each student presented their own proposal to a panel including Director Rebecca Henson. Their designs built upon the pre-existing structure of the building but were never constrained by its history; the proposals, all wonderfully unique and imaginative, incorporated modernity, natural environments, and sustainability.
Many thanks to Patrick and Nancy Lathrop Professor of Architecture Paul Emmons, who led the studio class!
