Hello,

The Science Museum of Minnesota is planning to develop a 5,000 square-foot
interdisciplinary traveling exhibition and associated programming about
buildings.  The major themes of this project will be the physical science,
mathematics, and technology manifest in buildings, the interplay of energy
and environmental sciences in buildings, and the cultural, sociological, and
psychological implications of buildings.  These three themes will be woven
together amongst four major areas of the exhibit:  (1)Great Advances, (2)A
Balance of Forces, (3)Living, Breathing Buildings; and (4)Where Do We Go
>From Here?

"Building Buildings" will weave together stories of architecture and
engineering to examine questions such as how does the massive weight of a
building resist the pull of gravity?  What are the properties of the
materials, such as glass and steel, used to construct buildings?  How are
buildings influenced by the environment (wind, sun, and precipitation), and
how do they in turn affect the environment?  How and why do buildings change
over time?  Why do some endure for centuries and others only a few years?
How do humans and the buildings they create influence and shape one another?
How are advances in science and technology changing the way buildings are
designed, constructed and operated?

Your comments and reactions regarding this project would be much
appreciated.  I would rather not waste scarce time, money, and resources by
reinventing good exhibit and program ideas that already have been tested and
perfected elsewhere.  I would be happy to discuss ways in which your
creativity and hard work can be acknowledged.

Sincerely,

Patrick Hamilton
612-221-4761, 612-221-4777 (fax)