Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Tragedy as an Impetus to History and Design: The Silver Bridge Collapse
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
The 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge that linked West Virginia and Ohio brought tragedy to the Appalachian towns that were linked by it. A lack of redundancy in its structural design allowed the bridge’s collapse when a key connection sheared. This discussion will review theory related to place and memory and how that can be used through the vehicle of history as a way to approach design. The remnants of uncomfortable histories are often removed due to discomfort, but their presence can provide a positive force for a place. The use of architecture as a means to invigorate memory and to give presence to the past will be discussed. The goal of this presentation is to use this event as a way to bring the power of that past event into the living current memory of the region. The presentation will end with a design model of how to approach the conceptualization of an architectural intervention on the site that could reinvigorate reflection on those events of nearly fifty years ago.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Prof. Galford is a native West Virginian and an architect, educator and doctoral student at the University of Missouri. He is an assistant professor of interior architecture at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA.
Tragedy as an Impetus to History and Design: The Silver Bridge Collapse
The 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge that linked West Virginia and Ohio brought tragedy to the Appalachian towns that were linked by it. A lack of redundancy in its structural design allowed the bridge’s collapse when a key connection sheared. This discussion will review theory related to place and memory and how that can be used through the vehicle of history as a way to approach design. The remnants of uncomfortable histories are often removed due to discomfort, but their presence can provide a positive force for a place. The use of architecture as a means to invigorate memory and to give presence to the past will be discussed. The goal of this presentation is to use this event as a way to bring the power of that past event into the living current memory of the region. The presentation will end with a design model of how to approach the conceptualization of an architectural intervention on the site that could reinvigorate reflection on those events of nearly fifty years ago.
