The other day I had the chance to walk around the new addition. Lori Ushman, who works in Design Studies and is the most talented photographer, graciously trekked along with me. We spent close to 2 hours in the existing building, around the site, in the parking garage and eventually we made our way to the addition.
Just don't tell our architects that the First Emperior of China was so proud of his tomb that he murdered its creators.
Climbing up a ladder to the first floor - home to the new Design Gallery - we began our journey. I am understanding space in a whole new way - for 3 years we've been dreaming, drawing and planning on paper but nothing prepares you for what it means to stand right there.
With encouragement (well, it felt more like a challenge) Lori and I climbed three floors of scaffolding stairs on the outside of the structure...and were greeted with the sight of hundreds of wood "soldiers", standing row upon row whose only job is to support the structure while the concrete cures:
My first thought was these hundreds of supports, which are invisible by the webcam, reminded me of the terra cotta soldiers of the First Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Sure a bit of a reach, but the sight of hundreds of uniform supports, row upon row, is striking. 
Just don't tell our architects that the First Emperior of China was so proud of his tomb that he murdered its creators.
