Synopsis

The Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston, Ontario, plans to enclose the last Edwardian-era Great Lakes Maritime vessel, the S.S. Keewatin, in a permanent atrium-type display to protect and preserve it and teach the public about the history of the ship, the dry dock, and Kingston. The project aims to develop a design proposal that aligns with the Museum's strategic business plan to gain prevalence in the Kingston tourism market, expand operations and partnerships, and increase outreach. The project's objectives include developing a cost-effective and aesthetically pleasing design to preserve the vessel's integrity, operate year-round, and fall within the fundraising budget. The background research covers similar museum enclosures around the world, materials for construction, and building regulations. The idea generation process used to generate design concepts for the enclosure surrounding the S.S. Keewatin is divided into four main sub-categories: the docking and support of the ship, the atrium, the visitors center, and the ship itself. The stakeholder input for the design of the enclosure of the Keewatin ship came from various departments under the City of Kingston, board members from the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes, and residents of Kingston. The decision-making process used various techniques such as pros and cons tables and Pugh charts to analyze potential solutions with respect to cost, feasibility, complexity, maintenance requirements, sustainability, and aesthetics. The final design includes a foundation made of cast concrete, with the first level mainly comprised of glazed glass and birch wood for the roof, feature wall, and large aesthetic beams. The structure was strengthened with steel supports, and all elements were validated for structural capability. Stakeholder considerations and metrics for success were mapped to design elements to ensure qualitative validation of the design.