Metadata
Title
Athenaeum of Philadelphia 2050
Creator
Pham, Hai
Location
Annandale, VA, USA
Call Number
005-LF-S009
Date
2014
School
The Catholic University of America
Category
Student
Project Assumption
The library, storage rooms, and exhibitions of the current Athenaeum contain and preserve the shape of history. In 2050, technology will be grown exponentially and so will the people's knowledge. We will be accustomed to using technology to its fullest potential, and accept technology as a given. Nature will as equally be appreciated as much as will technology, due to concerns about the environment in which we will live. In this design, the Athenaeum takes the organic shapes of nature yet still fulfills the technological potential of the future, house information digitally and physically.
Project Statement
The trees from the park overpower the current Athenaeum, and the park is used more often as a public reading area that the Athenaeum itself. The new design will draw the attention it needs by mimicking the shape of the trees that lean over 6th Street lessening the relative grandness of the park. Cantilevering the Athenaeum of 2050 will imply that it is as exciting as the park itself to comfortably enjoy books and even study the architectural records which are preserved as files and digital records.
Registration Number
46131610