\u201cIt\u2019s skin and bones,\u201d says Project Manager Martin Baron of\u00a0<\/span>Teeple Architects<\/strong>\u00a0in Toronto. \u201cThe metal roof is the skin and the wooden legs are the bones.\u201d <\/span>Teeple Architects<\/strong> are the visionaries behind the\u00a0<\/span>Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum<\/strong>\u00a0in Wembley, Alberta, 22 kilometers west of Grande Prairie.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s an apt metaphor for the new museum next to one of the largest fossil finds in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Interior View of the\u00a0Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The idea of making the supporting columns, or bones, part of the interior experience isn’t a new one but it does require special engineering so Teeple turned to Vancouver\u2018s internationally renowned\u00a0StructureCraft Builders<\/strong>. The Richmond Olympic Oval is probably the most recognizable, a 43 foot span comprised of hundreds of pressure-treated 2 x 4\u2019s. \u201cWe knew this was going to be exposed timber and we knew they were extremely good at it,\u201d says Stephen Teeple about partnering with the British Columbia based company.<\/p>\n

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On-site Construction<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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On-site Construction Details<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a unique design and build company so we come on board fairly early in the process,\u201d says StructureCraft founder and President Gerry Epp. Epp is a licensed Professional Engineer with a keen appreciation for aesthetics but he\u2019s no pie-in-the-sky dreamer. Epp marries the fantastic with the practical making sure the physics fit the vision.<\/p>\n

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Teeple wanted a wooden building. No problem. The partners turned to Gluelam, an engineered wood product made out of recycled pine-beetle stock. But when the design called for multiple spars to intersect at a common point, the challenge became tougher. How do you design a joint that is not only pleasing to look at but is structurally sound as well?<\/p>\n

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Framework of the structure<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not talking just sculpture here; we\u2019re talking about big forces that have to carry wind and snow,\u201d says Epp. True enough, the Wembley area gets\u00a0about six feet of snow every winter.<\/p>\n

The common choice would be steel but the architects wanted to keep everything organic. Epp wanted to keep the joint relatively small and light.\u00a0The solution was a multi-faced laminated plywood node which brought everything together, carried the load and retained the organic look of wood, a custom solution worked out in StructureCraft\u2019s\u00a0\u00a0workshop.<\/p>\n

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Construction Node<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Computer modelling is conceptual, work-shopping it makes it real, says Epp.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIf we\u2019re not informed by actual construction problems, fabrication, erection and the rest,\u201d he says, \u201cthen we\u2019re not bringing our strengths to the project because we\u2019re not informed by the real issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working out these real issues gives him a competitive advantage, knowing that when his parts go out in the field, they\u2019re going to work. \u201cWe\u2019re the ones who actually make it work on site and make it buildable,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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Epp\u2019s crews battled -30 degree temperatures this past winter erecting the skeleton. Now that the so-called bones are in place, the rest of the skin, the exterior cladding, is being applied. The Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum, nodes, bones and all, will open to the public in December 2014.<\/p>\n

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Credits:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Artistic Concept\/ Node Detail – Teeple Architects<\/p>\n

Construction –\u00a0StructureCraft Builders<\/p>\n

+\u00a0Teeple Architects<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

+\u00a0StructureCraft Builders<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

+\u00a0Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt\u2019s skin and bones,\u201d says Project Manager Martin Baron of\u00a0Teeple Architects\u00a0in Toronto. \u201cThe metal roof is the skin and the wooden legs are the bones.\u201d Teeple Architects are the visionaries behind the\u00a0Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum\u00a0in Wembley, Alberta, 22 kilometers west of Grande Prairie.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s an apt metaphor for the new museum next to one of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":40608,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[7101,6954,7100,7103,7102,1468],"yoast_head":"\n