blog post 3

searching through uncg's architectural past, i found this photo of the quad at women's college, the university's former name.  here you can see georgian style brick buildings flanking an open space in a  very ordered and traditional fashion.  the quad is still considered by many to be the heart of campus and it's from here that the general aesthetic of uncg was established.  

epodunk.com

this arial view of the current campus tells us something about the position of power within the context of greensboro.  the two tallest buildings (the library and water tower) stand out in the surrounding landscape  as beacons of a powerful establishment.  note the difference in architectural style and color between the white towers and the brown buildings.  a consolidated campus also increases the overall impact of the university's image.  

helicamhdmedia.com

the campus site consists of 93 buildings on 200 acres close to the city center.  several main thoroughfares cut through and around the site giving the university an accessible layout that is "open" to the surrounding city.  it should also be noted that the campus' southern boundary is marked by a railroad, which has historically been a dividing line between middle and lower income communities.  one could say uncg is located on the "right side of the tracks".     

the map below is color coded according to the sizes of building throughout the campus.  the largest buildings in red are evenly spaced and stand out as landmarks for the various university "districts".  with the exception of the library and water tower, all other buildings are rather short, lending a sense of human scale to the campus.  in general, uncg's buildings and lawns are evenly distributed around the library which orients students to the campus center. 

uncg.edu

experiencing the space on campus is an exercise in spatial adjustment.  students, faculty and staff move from crowded classrooms to open spaces throughout the day.  areas of organized learning tend to provide little space, while areas of repose or contemplation (improvised learning) often provide more space.    it's not uncommon to see students relaxing outdoors in the shade of trees or on the grassy lawns where they can take a breath and gain some perspective.  

jake tucci

experience tells us that institutions of education should look a certain way to convince us that they function in a certain way.  we've come to believe that education should be a standardized experience based on fundamental values, knowledge and ideals pulled from the roots of civilization as we see it... and so often this means "get some greek-revival in there".  the petty building below sits proudly at the heart of campus and reassures us that an education at uncg is a fueled by tradition and experience.  

uncg.edu

consistent brick surfacing creates aesthetic harmony and unites the campus buildings regardless of their architectural styles.  the warm tones of brick clay express the region's roots in brick production and increase the sense of human scale.  

uncg.edu

repetition is a design principle, which is often used to convey uncg's educational principles.  the photo below illustrates the repetition of lamp posts and banners portraying minerva, the roman goddess of wisdom.  this repetitive message lines the walkways across campus and reminds us our own educational pursuits and the importance of women in education.  

uncg.edu

order is clearly conveyed here in the form of stacked windows and striking scale.  as i have mentioned before, the library is the tallest building on campus, and therefore acts as a visual point from which the rest of campus is oriented.  in the case of a largely brick campus, the white facade lets us know this a building of significance, and what better building to have at the center of it all?  

uncg.edu

moving forward into the future, uncg has gone from a liberal arts women's college into a co-ed university  driven by the integration of art and technology.  this evolution is reflected in the architecture of the some of the newly constructed buildings, which tend to be modern interpretations of the past.  in the case of the gatewood building, modern glass curtain walls and steel structural elements are paired with brick-- a building technology tied to the area's industrial past.