[201] dc presentations

i visited the natural history museum, the american indian museum, and the portrait gallery. working on my speech i learned about the connections in circulation in buildings and how that affects the way people move and experience the space. the museum of natural history has a large open circulation area when you first enter the space which encourages people to look around and recognize the center of the space.  i also thought the way the rooms to the exhibits were organized according to category in order to enhance flow of the space so that it makes sense to the visitors (image on left). it is east to follow because each floor and every entrance is directly connected to the main gathering space. this gathering space is further enhanced through the dome in the center lobby that is similar to the museum of the american indian because there was a large center for circulation here also and a dome in the center enhancing the importance of this space. I also noticed the importance of connecting the outside of the building to the inside. the american indian museum was very curved and fluid on the outside with different stacks making up a layer of curved surface (image on right). this connects with the curved walls on the inside and the stacked center towards the center of the dome in the ceiling, (middle image). after presenting my speech i learned that i need to not only talk about the connections of circulation and flow, but i also need to think about how this affects the people who will be experiencing the space.