This new home for a regional art form of pure simplicity and beauty would not do justice to the displays unless it too showcased clean lines and honest materials. Architect Bob Cain and PEC collaborated on a museum where architecture and exposed structure are one and the same. Roof framing incorporates paired timber trusses with steel rod tension members, sheathed with exposed T&G decking. Walls are built of timber beams and columns with custom steel connection hardware, clean glass or wood framed panels, and exposed aircraft cable x-bracing for lateral stability. Cantilevered steel tube frames support stacked timber and wood decking roof canopies, and the steel and wood front entry porch cantilevers on three sides from a single cylindrical concrete pier.
Light and airy above, the structure is solid and dependable below. Floor framing includes engineered wood I joists on steel beams, with enough capacity for assembly occupancy, even providing support for a small kiln. Low wood decks, elegant sight lighting and a steel tube and wood framed enclosed walkway connect the museum to the site and the existing adjacent school building. www.folkpotterymuseum.com
