Race to Mackinac Museum
PROGRAM: Sailing Race Museum + Public Sailing Center
CONSTRUCTION: Timber Gridshell + Pre-Fab Steel
LOCATION: Mackinac Island, Michigan
PROFESSOR: Frank Flury
COURSE: 4th Year Fall Architecture Studio
PARTNER: Cam Nguyen
TOOLS: Rhino + Grasshopper, AutoCAD, Illustrator, 3ds Max + Photoshop, Physical Model
The Chicago Yacht Club’s Race to Mackinac is the oldest annual freshwater sailing race in the world, being first run in 1898. Running from off the coast of Navy Pier in Chicago to Mackinac Island at the northern tip of mainland Michigan, the 333 mile race is steeped with history. To honor this storied past, the Chicago Yacht Club has decided to partner with the Mackinac State Park on a new race museum and public sailing center at the Mackinac State Harbor. Inspired by the idyllic landscape of Mackinac Island and the tradition of sailing, the museum has been conceptualized from a set of prominent elements taken from these. The roof’s organic curves resemble a passing wave in the harbor, the dual connected columns take precedence from a sailing ship’s all important rope tie downs, the optimized shades evoke an active sail, and the natural shoreline beget the building’s sloping floor.
Atrium 
Gift Shop
Museum 
Boat Workshop
