The Golden Gate Bridge Outdoor Exhibition: Public Works for Public Learning

With $3 million in funding from the National Science Foundation, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (GGBHTD) is creating a permanent outdoor exhibition at the south end (San Francisco side) of the Golden Gate Bridge. The exhibition will be opened in 2012. The exhibition will include a variety of models, displays, and interactive exhibits to provide visitors ways to learn about the engineering, construction and maintenance, aesthetics, and history of the Bridge, which is one of the most famous monuments in the world and is visited by 10 million people a year. The centerpiece of the exhibition is a large (90-foot-long), stainless steel scale model of the Bridge, revealing its structural features in detail. Locations on the model are keyed to satellite exhibits that surround this large "table of contents" model. An international conference is being planned in partnership with the American Public Works Association, which will include a special tour of the exhibition and information on how to mount successful exhibits that explain architecture and engineering to the public. The conference will be held June 20, 21, and 22, 2012 in San Francisco.