Terri Meyer Boake BES BArch MArch LEED AP
Professor :: School of Architecture :: University of Waterloo

The Rose Center for Earth and Space

Polshek Partnership

New York, New York

 

Project Information:

The Rose Center for Earth and Space is part of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. It was designed by Polshek Partnership and completed in 2000. The primary focus of the building was the creation of a large cube, glazed on three sides, surrounding a spherical planetarium, suspended in its center. The cube structure is created used a series of vertical trusses, created from round HSS tubes, with a three dimensional tube truss in each corner.

For more information, please see the Polshek Partnership website. link

As well as the Great Buildings website. link

And some images of the construction. link


Project Images:

The journey starts at the centre of the space, below the suspended sphere.
View up to one corner showing the 3D tube truss.

Detailed view of 3D tube truss. Interior support of the truss is formed by stainless steel struts that are also used to connect the exterior glazing.
Plate fins are attached to the vertical tubes for assist in connecting diagonal members as well as tension reinforcing.

View towards main exterior glazed wall.
View up through trusswork adjacent to non glazed wall that forms the connection to the existing museum.
Typical column base for each of the vertical wall trusses.
A fin is attached to this column base to connect the stainless steel spider glass connector.
Side view of connection of base of wall truss to column base.
Detail of multiple points connecting to main truss vertical.
Close view of multiple truss members as they connect to a primary vertical truss member.
The main vertical to base diagonal truss members are connected via a smoothly ground welded connection.
View up glazed exterior wall.
A metal catwalk rings the top of the truss structure at the roof level to provide access to the mechanical floor.
Rectangular HSS tubes are used to create the framework for the passenger elevators between floors.
The rectangular HSS tubes are connected via welding, most of the weld appearing to have been ground smooth.
The spiral ramp that takes the public from the lower levels up to the theatres is formed using curved round HSS members. The interior supporting structure is also steel.
The exterior glazing is made from structural glass. Stainless steel is used for the base connection of the main vertical fin. Heating supply grates are aligned along the wall.
View through the exterior glazing towards the top of the cube.
View through glazing towards the sphere. The structure of the sphere was created with structural steel shapes.

 

These images are for educational use only and may not be reproduced commercially without written permission. tboake@sympatico.ca

Updated February 11, 2021