Today we visited Eaton and had the opportunity to see one of their facilities in the Czech Republic. One of the most interesting parts of the visit was learning how the engineers there collaborate closely with engineers in Pittsburgh despite being in completely different countries.
After this, we went to visit Kunsthalle Praha, which has wonderful art exhibitions. We were given a background on the Kunsthalle, which means “art hall,” and learned that it used to be a metro station before being redesigned into an art gallery. The entire building exhibits the importance of engineering and creativity working together.
The HVAC system was strategically placed to ensure proper temperatures for all types of art, and a gas fire protection system was installed to avoid damage to the artwork in the case of a fire. These systems constantly monitor conditions and adjust temperature changes as needed. Additionally, the gallery itself was engineered to be easily altered by artists depending on the exhibition. For example, photo above shows a large green wall that can be repainted or redesigned based on the artist’s vision of how the work should be displayed. Structures, such as a boat used to display media art, were also incorporated to provide another artistic viewpoint.
To finish the night, there was an alumni reception where we got to meet University of Pittsburgh alumni currently working in the Czech Republic.
Swanson School of Engineering 