BP4_[2/7/11]

This past Friday, we took another campus tour to observe how Roman architecture is seen in our campus. Walking around, I asked myself a few questions. Is there a sense of balance? Is it through form and material? And is there a essence of power through hierarchy?

I noticed that our campus was designed, in a sense, on a grid. Four main buildings mark the four corners of campus, all lining up, spread around college avenue. The library across from the economics building; the music building across from education. Thinking about this, I asked myself, why these four buildings? This hierarchy through selection shows what what seen as most important buildings for our school. At first, economics seems silly to be placed in the category among it, but when you think back to when UNC-G was first built, it was intended to be an all-women school, which makes it's place among the others seem fit.

Another thing I noticed while observing our campus was the repetition of circles throughout. Some make sense and are purposeful in their location, such as the circle on college av that marks the spot between the library and the economics building along the axis. Others along college av however, made me question their intent, because they seemed random. There are also quite a few circles in the EUC, in the representation of domes. These relate well with what we are studying in class because of the relation with light and sky. On the floor directly below the dome in the building, there is a design marking of a sun. This increases a viewers experience while entering the building, creating a moment that reminds me of the Pantheon. I do not think, however, the two should be compared in any sense, for the dome in the EUC, I feel, was randomly placed there to, in a sense, look pleasing.

The MHRA building I found most interesting in comparison to the others I previously discussed. There is a definite balance and order when entering, aligned on an axis. The design markings on the floor of the lobby intrigued me with their gradation as you enter. This relates back to Roman architecture with the fact that it provides a sense of power, giving direction to the one entering the space. This building also had interesting details in material, including the use of columns. The set on the outside of the building were ionic in detail. This pattern was also brought inside to the lobby, but were less detailed and more for a structural purpose.

To spend an hour or so and observe our surroundings, we can definitely uncover precedents around us that we would generally walk right past. I think what is most intriguing about exercises like this is to see their relation (does it fail or succeed?) and how various concepts of design have evolved over the years.