Dream #1:
We'd like to have our building to be as self-sustaining as possible.
Our research has led us to the conclusion that it is quite feasible to build a facility that uses very little energy.
To begin with, the museum itself would be designed to use very little energy. Most exhibits can be hand-powered either
directly or by way of a hand-crank generator. The need for power would be kept to a minimum. The architecture
of the buiding can be designed so that there isn't much "wasted space" (space that can't be used but still must
be heated). By using a combination of geothermal heating/cooling and solar panels, the energy costs can be kept very
low.
Wouldn't
it be fabulous if the building itself was an exhibit? We'd be happy to make the facility a show-place of alternative
technology and let visitors see the inner workings of the building.
Dream #2: We'd like to have a really nifty, creative playground. We've been to
some incredible playgrounds in other parts of the state and don't see any reason why our area can't have one. Usually
these playgrounds are wooden structures and they are a veritable labyrinth of platforms, turrets, tunnels, swinging bridges,
slides and more. They often have elements desinged imaginative play.
Dream #3: We'd like to have a large "architectural
garden" for visitors to stroll through. This would be a blend of art, architecture, and landscaping.
It might include a Japanese garden, a giant "human chess" board inside a medieval cloister, and some scale models
of historic structures such as the pyramids, the Great Wall of China, or Stonehenge (amidst attractive landscaping).
Also important to us would be to include some Native American elements such as a longhouse, honoring the original residents
of northeastern America.