The Education Building and KAM

4/14/15

                Today, we went to the Education Building and the Krannert Art Museum. The Education Building was meant to be a set of two. It is lowered into the ground and across the field from it, where THB currently resides, there was intended to be another Education like building. This mirroring would echo the two pavilions at the UGL. As you approach the Education Building, the transition from outside is blurred. The cement on the outside has very large stones in it and the closer it gets to being inside, the rocks get smaller. There is also a large window at the front that the outside pavement seems to run right through. The whole building was set up with a symmetry in mind. There are two hallways on either side that seem to run the length of the building (although one does not). The stairs are moved away from the walls, allowing light to fall all the way down to the basement. The basement and the second floor are also larger than the first floor, but the placement of the stairs and the hallway hides this fact for the most part. There is a garden space in the back of the building. It was clearly incorporated into the building design. The walls circle the garden and allow people to surreptitiously slide into the space, giving it a protected feel.

                The next place we went was the Krannert Art Museum. This was built right on the military axis. Its middle section was curved out, pregnant with art. Here, there was a lot of weird art. My favorite was the burnt popcorn. It was just burnt popcorn in some aluminum. It was mind blowing. 

The Main Library, the Foreign Language Building, Smith Hall, and the Institute for Genomic Biology

04/07/15

                Today our walking tour consisted of visiting a few buildings on campus: the Main Library, the Foreign Language Building, Smith Hall, and the Institute for Genomic Biology. Here, we explored some aspects of design and structure of each building.

                The Main Library is a large building at the heart of campus. Its many extensions seamlessly blend into one huge brick building. While inside, we visited the main stacks. Here, many rare books are kept and small cubicle for research are housed. The shelving that holds the books is incorporated into the support system. There are main floors and then a mezzanine floor that is simply cement blocks that is held up with the shelves.

                We then moved to the Foreign Language Building. It seems to stick out from the other buildings, with its inverted ziggurat shape. To some people, the reason for this shape is that is used to house a super computer in the basement and the building, therefore, needed to be able to withstand attack. On our tour, we discussed how another interpretation could stem from biblical times, relating to the Tower of Babel. Instead of trying to build a tour up to God, this building flips that idea on its head and invited God into the building.

                The third building was Smith Hall. The entrance of this building was facing away from the quad, due to its use by those other than the campus and also not to get overshadowed by Foellinger. Its entrance has many layers of columns that telescopes the entrance down to human size. The main auditorium is the first room you encounter as you enter. All of these things give the act of entering a sense of importance and excitement.

                The last building we went to was the Institute for Genomic Biology. Here, there was an emphasis on certain areas, based on their purpose, as designated through the décor. If there was a place that a person was intended to linger and experience, there was a number of unnecessary, from a structural standpoint, additions, from wooden panels, to large voids of space.

Construction Visit

03/02/15

                Today, we toured the construction site at 906 W Nevada, Urbana. This site is being developed into a veteran center. We were able to see the process of constructing a building.

                The basement of the building is primarily home to the operating systems of the building. It contains all of the electrical panels and elevator operating room. It is made out of concrete. This building will have two elevators to accommodate the possibly disabled users of the building.

                The first floor has a very open feel, even in construction. There will be a kitchen installed and an open lounge space. There are large windows on all sides, giving those inside a full view of their surroundings. This was needed to give the veterans a sense of safety. The kitchen will be used to help disabled veterans learn how to use modified appliances.

                The second floor will have offices, class rooms, and a physical therapy exercise room. The third floor will be dedicated to those veterans who will live in the center. Each room will have the capability of being handicap accessible, as a lift system can be set up.

                The building process is very future oriented. For example, all of the wires must be in precise place for the future appliances that might use them. Even some of the best laid plans don’t pan out. There is a bathroom on the first floor that has a few things in the ceiling that will need to be accessed for maintenance. However, they are in multiple places. So, even though for bathrooms it is more desirable to have a hard ceiling with an access panel, this bathroom will have a drop ceiling, for easier access. 

Mt Hope Cemetery

3/31/15

                On today’s tour, we visited the Mt Hope Cemetery. Built long before the university even existed, it has become integrated into the campus. It was built on the highest ground around to stop the graves from flooding. Now, it simply exists on the outskirts of the main campus, displaying names, both familiar and unfamiliar, of people past.

                The first part of the cemetery we visited was a building right against the entrance. This place houses many of the above ground graves. Inside, all of the walls were lined with large stone panels, displaying the names of those who lay behind. Some of the panels had multiple names displayed, some of those hadn’t died yet. This practice shows the value some place on being buried next to their spouses or family.

                Outside, gravestones stretch out, all varying in size, seemingly placed arbitrarily. However, as we walked around, groupings seemed to emerge. The first group we walked through were the Jewish graves. Here, stones were placed on the headstones of graves, marking the visits of loved ones. We then walked through a few military areas of various wars. Each grave in this area had the person’s military involvement of the stone. Then, we were met with a large grassy area. This was left as a potter’s field, for the deceased who were left unidentified.

More familiar names were seen on the edge of the cemetery, facing Memorial Stadium. Those who were involved with the school were placed in there to represent their commitment to the university, even in death.

                Some people’s graves stick out more than others. Those who were richer had far more elaborate graves. Many people had obelisks that rise high into the sky and some have markers to claim a certain plot for their family.

                Overall, the cemetery is a direct representation of those who live and lived in the surrounding area.   

Green Street

3/17/15

                This week, our outing was slightly closer to home. We ventured down to campus town and walked down Green Street, as we discussed the many changed that have occurred on one of the most popular spots on campus. Filled with bars, food, and shopping, Green Street seems almost essential to student survival, so it’s weird to think that it hasn’t always been the student friendly place it is today.

                What started off Green Street’s transformation was the flooding issue that the area had. The Boneyard creek had the nasty habit of overflowing and flooding the surrounding neighborhood. This started the interest in the area.

                A group of students and a faculty member began to take notice of the Green street area and began coming up with ways to improve it. They realized that this space had much more potential that could be used to improve students’ lives on campus. So they began to lobby for making Green Street a place for students; less of a transitional place and more of a place to exist.

                Slowly, Green St became a place people were actually willing to go. The awnings got smaller, the streets narrower, and the sidewalks wider. Soon, people began erecting apartments to house students, as they realized that they could charge much more in rent for a lot less.

                This is the perfect example of a space changing to suit its environment. Green Street could have become a place intended for vehicular travel, but it was instead taken in the opposite direction, and transformed into a place for pedestrian student life. Green Street became the place we know today: a place to eat, drink, and have a good time. 

Downtown Champaign

3/10/15

                This past Tuesday, we went to downtown Champaign. Much of downtown Champaign focuses on its difference from Campus town. Here, people who wish to get away from the college partying can relax, shop, eat, and drink at their leisure. Non-college bars and pubs are what helped the downtown area flourish in the first place.

                The whole downtown area was built upwind from the railroad. This was done so the town could live without having to endure the odor and pollutants of industry. These smells would, intend, be sent downwind, towards Urbana.

                One of the buildings we passed on our walk was the former post office. This building was an impressive, strong looking building. It was wide and relatively short, making it seem very robust. This building was meant to symbol the federal presence in the town. It showed a stronghold of the government, while being a very central, public place. It has a set of large, steep steps to the door, where once, people could congregate.

                We eventually wandered to West Side Park, a large park in the center of downtown Champaign. Surrounding this park are many churches, the library, and a school. Here, the very rural concept of having many aspects of life intertwining come into play. The churches, many of which lie on Church Street, signify a healthy spirit. The park signifies a healthy body. And the library and school signify a healthy mind. All of them can be found together because, to many people, they all are parts of everyday life. 

Architecture XPO

3/5/15

                This Thursday’s trip was to the Architecture Job Expo. Here, more than 30 firms spoke with architecture students about possible recruitment. My mission: to find and interview one of these firms.

                The firm I ended up talking to was Humphreys and Partners. They are a residential firm, designing mostly apartment complexes all over the country. When asked what they were looking for in potential applicants, they said they wanted a strong portfolio and good communication skills. GPA was also important, although it did take a backseat place to the other things. Interns would start their careers there by working on existing projects with higher level employees.

                One of the recruiters was an alumnus of U of I and spoke of how historic and technical the architecture program is here. 

BIF and LEED

3/3/15

                Tuesday’s tour was around BIF, which stands for Business Institutional Facility. When you first enter the building, you walk into a huge, open space. On one side, there is a wall of glass, with a large, curved overhang from the roof. The space is large and impressive, serving as the central hub of the building. Also on the first floor, is a plaque, telling all those who enter that BIF was, in 2009, LEED Platinum certified. It was on this topic of “green architecture” and sustainability that our tour was focused around.

                There were three kinds of sustainability that we discussed: material, water, and energy. When picking materials to make a building, one must consider the embodied energy of certain materials. Embodied energy is the sum of all the energy needed to produce and move a certain material. Therefore, you want to look for a material that is locally sourced and cheap to manufacture. Water sustainability is a very important topic, especially with today’s high demand for fresh water. When a building is erected, water doesn’t absorb into the ground, it runs to rivers, where it leaves the system, as it gets flushed out to the ocean. In order to combat the leaving water, a building must try to slow the water. Energy sustainability is the most heard of kind, as it is well publicized due to its connection with global warming, etc. A building should try to use the lowest amount of energy as possible, as it is more cost efficient. It could also try to produce energy, using solar panels or wind turbines, to have a net energy of zero.

                To maximize the sustainability of a building is to make it a very “green” building, or a building that harms the environment the least. A way to get this certified is to go through LEED, Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, which makes sure you building is environmentally friendly. BIF had a high enough number of points to qualify for platinum certification.

                There are flaws with the LEED program. While it does encourage greener buildings, it also encourages certain things that could be harmful to a building, if executed improperly. For example, BIF has solar panels above the auditorium, which gets it points in the LEED program. However, they are anchored through a water-tight membrane below the exterior room, making them not entirely water-tight. This leaves the roof open to water damage in the future and possibly costing much more than the energy saved due to the panels. There are also bike change rooms, to get the LEED points for the bike racks that are locked to most people. These rooms take up space and cost a fair amount to build and, yet, they are not needed. This means that there was a large waste of resources to build these unused rooms, for the LEED points.

                While the LEED initiative is a very positive one that encourages good habits in designing buildings, it could be argued that there could be a more way efficient way to become certified as a green building, without certain frivolities that are detrimental to a building. Overall, though, BIF was a very impressive building and a huge step in the right direction when it comes to green architecture. 

Erlanger House

2/24/15

                On this walking tour, we went to the Erlanger House. This has been my favorite tour so far. It exposed us to something completely different than what we normally experience. It also tied in nicely with the models we are doing for the next class.

                Walking up to the house was the first of many surprises to come in the tour. It stands out from all of the other houses on the street around it. It is set back from the sidewalk farther than the rest of the houses and, while all of the other residences have large window and doors at the center of the house, the Erlanger house has none of these. Instead, all that is visible to passersby is a blank brick wall, and, if one looks closely, a small glass door, set on the edge of the front of the house. This gives the whole building the sense of privacy.

                The first floor of the building shows off the minimalism put into the building. The whole thing is very open, with two full walls of windows, letting in a lot of natural light. The sitting area contains a sunken space with couches built into the sunken space. This faces out to the “front yard”, which is a space outside, in between the wall of brick visible from the sidewalk and the glass wall of the house. On the other side of the sitting area is a very open space that rises the height of the building. This is also against a glass wall that faces the backyard. Here, there floor is completely open and hard wood, as opposed to the rest of the floor, which is cement and stone. This space was intended for dance classes that Margaret Erlanger would have at her house. There is also a small kitchen and bathroom on the first floor. The whole house is centered around a chimney that rises straight through the middle.

                The second floor is only half of the length of the house, as the dance space is double height. This space is dedicated almost entirely to the bedroom. This space is, again, very open. The second floor acts as a balcony to view the dance space on the floor below. The whole thing is carpeted in white, including the bathroom, which is a little odd. The toilet and shower are on opposite ends of the bathroom and both have a square skylight above them. Even in the place where one is supposed to have the most privacy, one can feel the sense of openness.

                This house was huge important to make connections to, in regards to our model project. The space had a mezzanine level, a double height space, stairs, and a chimney. Indeed, as I moved through the house, I was able to think about all of the elements it incorporated and apply them to the rules we had been assigned.

                This house was just so different from anything I had experienced before. It so simple and had such a beautiful aesthetic. It fit the original owner so perfectly in both function and very representation of who she was as a person. If this has convinced me of anything, it is to hire an architect to design my own future house.

The Armory, Huff Hall, and Irwin Indoor Sports Facility

2/17/15

                This past Tuesday, we visited three of the buildings on campus that are affiliated with athletics: Huff Hall, the Armory, and Irwin Indoor Sporting Facility. All three of these buildings were meant to be very open and spacious, perfect for sporting events or practices. These spaces all had huge volumes, uninhibited by columns or support in the main space. From the floor of the buildings, it seems impossible for the high ceilings the stay suspended in the heavens without any main columns holding up the center. However, when you exam the ceilings, you see the intricate network of support that redistributes weight to the edges of the building. It is through these that the building is able to hold up the massive ceilings without central columns.

                The function of buildings like Huff, the Armory, or Irwin is to create large spaces where students and athletes have room to engage in sporting activities. This involves such activities as running, jumping, and even throwing things. This means that there needs to be adequate space in the building for such activities to be done without being impeded by columns. Large networks of trusses are used to redistribute the force of the ceiling. These networks take the vertical force that gravity puts on the ceiling and, through a system of interconnected beams, turns the force into a horizontal one. These horizontal forces are then sent outwards, to the edges of the building. There, vertical columns transfer the weight of the ceiling to the ground.

                A truss generally consists of two beam, a top chord and a bottom chord. They utilize tensile and compressive forces to act as braces. The top chord is generally in compression, which means there is an inward, pushing force on the beam. The bottom chord is in tension, which means there is an outward, pulling force on the beam. They are designed to transfer force and to stabilize each other. This allows them to hold up huge ceilings.

                The ability to redistribute force is very important in the modern structure. As buildings get bigger, the necessity for more complex infrastructures arise, and trusses and other such elements become all important. It combines the increased functionality of large spaces with impressive design of complex trusses 

THB Infrastructure

2/10/15

                Today, we stayed a little closer to home than usual. We toured Temple Hoyne Buell itself and examined the stuff that keeps such a huge building going. This tour was related to our visit to the Abbott Power Plant over a week ago because today we specifically focused on the heat and cooling of the building. Abbott supplies much of the energy that heats and cools the campus and THB is included in this. Behind every great building is the infrastructure that keeps it functioning as it should.

                While we couldn’t access the maintenance room to see where much of the inside workings of the extensive air system, a unique feature of THB is that so much else of the pipes and power lines are not only visible, but incorporated into the architecture of the building itself, forming a unique aesthetic that combines both form and function. Starting at lowest level of THB, huge pipes are visible running vertically up to the ceiling. These carry air to and from all of the rooms of THB.

                Following these pipes up to the third floor, we can see the pipes start to run horizontal through the various offices and studio spaces. Starting on one side of the building, the delivery pipe has a huge diameter. As the pipe travels along the building, however, it decreases in diameter because the amount of air it holds decreases with each room it passes. The return pipes remain the same size throughout the building.

                This tour showed the importance of functionality in architecture. A building can’t just look nice, it has to also be able to serve the people it houses. Equipping a building with all of the parts it needs to be able to function properly is a main part of the project, so it is necessary to consider this aspect of design very carefully.  

Krannert Tour

2/5/15

Our tour of the week was at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. As a member of the Illinois Band Program, this was not my first visit and nor will it be my last. It was interesting to see the building through the eyes of people who have not experienced it as I have. I took the role of visitor as opposed to performer. This allowed me to see Krannert in a way I had never before.

                We started our tour in the main lobby of Krannert. Long and low-ceilinged, the lobby is the first thing that greats guests to the building. This horizontal shape echoes the exterior of the building. The lobby, we were told, is 1.5 acres or 9 tennis courts. The floor is made out of a rare wood imported from India, which was designed by Mrs. Krannert herself. The ceiling is ridged to minimalize noise in the lobby. Without this, the low ceilings of the lobby would cause sound to echo loudly, making it difficult to allow many people to carry conversations.

                We left the lobby and went down 3 floors to the production level of the center. This is where I felt most at home, as this is where I have had many rehearsals and warm ups in my time performing at Krannert. Here, we got to see the wood shop, where all of the sets are created, and the costume shop, where all of the clothes for the performances are designed and put together. We even got to see the stage of one of the smaller theaters from the backstage, where we also saw a lot of storage of props.

                My favorite part of the tour was when we went into the Great Hall. The biggest of the stages in Krannert, it is the one dearest to me, as I have performed on that stage many times. The hall was built on the principles of symmetry and maximizing acoustics. There are no right angles in the hall to maximize the sound produced on stage and the seats are made of a foam that mimics the density of the human body, as to ensure that no matter the size of the audience in the hall at any given performance, the sound will have the same quality. The hall is also perfectly symmetrical. The wooden panels on the walls mirror each other perfectly in that each pair were cut from the same tree. There is even a set of doors in the back of the hall, one an actual exit and the other a fake door to keep the symmetry.

                Krannert is such an important building to campus. It is an epicenter to the arts and a place where students can appreciated world class acts for the cheapest price around. It is such a valuable resource and reflects the values of the university very positively. Everyone should at some point visit Krannert and see a show. It’s an experience until any other. 

Column Scavenger Hunt with Charles Tierney

Tuscan Columns at Busey Evans

Composite Columns at Busey Evans

Doric Columns at the Delta Gamma House

Ionic Columns at Smith Hall

Corinthian Columns at Newman Hall

Walking Tour 4 - Abbott Power Plant

1/29/15

            Today, we toured the Abbott power plant. Located right on campus, Abbott is responsible for 75% of campus’ energy. With 3 natural gas boilers, 3 coal boilers, and 2 heat recovery steam generators, they are more than capable to fuel our campus. The entrance to the fabled steam tunnels is in the plant as well.

            The plant itself was both smaller and larger than I thought it might be. It was smaller in a sense of floor space, however, it wasn’t cramped or claustrophobic. There was plenty of walking room between the maze of pipes and huge boilers. We encountered fewer people than I thought and I had to marvel at the technology that allowed so few employees to run such a huge power plant.

            As a chemical engineering major, the plant was interesting because we discussed the various reactions that take place in the generators and boilers. We were also told about problems that had occurred and how they had been fixed, which all lent itself to making engineering problems much realer.

            From an architectural standpoint, there wasn’t much to see. I did find the way that the plant was integrated with campus interesting. It took up very little room, relatively, while still outputting considerable energy. That, along with the steam tunnels, the plant was allowed to do its job well, while maintaining as little of a presence as possible.

Walking Tour 3 - The Main and Engineering Quads

1/27/15

            Today we toured the main and engineering quads. We started the tour on the steps of Foellinger Auditorium. As we looked down the main quad, it was clear that it was built with the concept of collective building in mind. Though many of the buildings had been erected at different times from one another, they shared similar appearances. They are all made out of a reddish stone. They all have lighter colored stone accents. They also all have a common edge with the buildings around them. They are all around the same height and width. This helps give a unified and symmetrical feeling to the quad.

            Foellinger is a very important building on the quad. Sitting directly on the main axis, it commands the attention and reverence of all who walk down the quad. Its domed shape echoes that of the Pantheon, after which it was modeled. The dome itself is important because, in American culture, the dome has been associated with democracy. All of these things lend themselves to making Foellinger a fantastic place to hold large lectures of the students that make up the university or the put important speakers.

            The Union is another important building on the quad. It was originally intended to be in the shape of a block I, however, Harker Hall was blocking one of the pavilions. This building is one of the oldest on campus and was designed by U of I’s first architect, then director. For this reason, it was allowed to remain, and the Union’s original design was never fully realized.

            This takes us to the end of the quad. Here, we notice a shift in the axis. This was to account for the buildings that were already in existence when the Engineering quad was set up. They couldn’t continue the main axis, as it would run through part of Engineering Hall, so they shifted the axis over. Grainger takes on a curved shape so, as you approach it, it seems to be hugging the quad, encompassing it a little, to make up for the awkward shape of the quad.

            The northern most part of the Engineering quad shifts back to the main axis. They do this by having a local entrance to Grainger on the south end and the Beckman Institute at the north end. The Beckman Institute was designed with the intention of being a style that could be echoed around the quad or even the campus. Here, they fell short because the design was focused around a rather phallic like shape, which was difficult to replicate for a few reasons. There wasn’t much else characteristic about the design other than the shape of the outside. Beckman also acts as a wall that closes off the north of campus. This is an interesting look into how architecture is intertwined with the environment and society itself. While the top of campus could be a great place to put an entrance to the university, Beckman offers no admittance to a place that is intended to be a shrine to learning and wisdom. Therefore, the blocking out of the community speaks poorly about the mentality of the university. 

Walking Tour 2 - The Architecture Building and Temple Hoyne Buell

1/22/15           

The places that were the primary focus during class today were Temple Hoyne Buell and the Architecture building. In THB, we discussed how the building was more similar to three buildings, all unified under one roof, more of a structural, three-sided doughnut. This is due to the vast, open space in the center of the building that the three sides look into. One of the “buildings” is where all of the faculty’s offices are located. Another of the buildings is where all of the student labs are located. These two buildings are connected by bridges that are meant to represent the interaction between the students and faculty.

The form of the exterior of THB can be simplified to the overlapping of two squares. This shape is accentuated by the placement of panes of glass and by corners of the building. At the vertical overlap of the two squares, there is a strip of glass windows, creating a tall entrance. At the bottom is the actual entrance, marked by glass doors.

Turning from THB, we can see the Architecture building. It is a long, red brick building, with two chimneys, acting as bookends to the building. We discussed the “phenomenal transparency” of the building or the aspects of the design of the building being purposefully ambiguous. Above a line of windows, there were sets of arches that called to mind the ancient aqueducts of Rome. If you focus on the aqueduct like arches, you couldn’t see the vertical lines created by the lighter colored stone around the windows. There was also a lighter colored band that wrapped horizontally around the whole building. This, in combination with the same colored vertical stripes, gave the impression that the horizontal band went over the vertical stripes.

At the entrance of the Architecture building, the door was flanked by a pair of composite columns, which is a combination of ionic, characterized by the scrolls, and Corinthian, characterized by the acanthus flowers. When we entered the building, we walked into a very symmetrical space. We stood in the center of four columns. On one side, the entrance. In two directions, opposite from one another, lay hallways that once led to large, open rooms. The whole original floor plan was lain out with such simplicity, it allowed for time to change it in more complicated ways if it was needed. 

Walking Tour 1 - The South Quad

1/20/15

            On our first walking tour as a class, we went through the South Quad. Leaving Temple Hoyne Buell, we first went to the Stock Pavilion. Here, we discussed the three quads and their representation of the three main disciplines at the University of Illinois. The South Quad was dedicated to Agriculture, the Main Quad to Liberal Arts, and the North Quad to Engineering. While the university has many other disciplines to pursue, the three quads represent the most important or, at the very least, the most distinguished of those disciplines.

The three quads are all in the same axis that runs north to south. When exiting the Stock Pavilion, we were greeted with a view directly down that axis that ran through the McFarland Carillon and then through Foellinger Auditorium. As we walked north, down this primary axis, we came to the Military Axis, that runs east to west. On one end is the ACES library, which was designed to mimic Foellinger in style. On the other end is student housing. These were put in place to “demilitarize” the axis, by placing on one end, a collection of information, and on the other, the students that make up the university. We talked about what could be placed at the west end of the military axis instead of student housing and things were suggested such as other libraries or perhaps an expansion of the Krannert Art Museum.

On the South Quad, one can see a mirror effect caused by buildings on opposite sides of the quad looking similar to each other. Main entrances are located opposite one another and whole building are lined up to create a more ordered effect.

As UIUC is a research university, the discovery of new information is expected. This is represented by the placement of both the Main library and the UGL, which were placed in such a way that they would be allowed to expand uninhibited. The UGL, which is underground due to the Morrow Plots can, in particular, expand in almost any direction, and still look unified. Because it is underground, it is impossible to tell what shape it is. The two entrances act as a frame that accentuates the north-south axis. In the center between the two temple-like entrances, is a spatial void, which unifies the library as a whole. Even though the building is underground and all but invisible, it still has a point that unifies it, which, not coincidently, lies on the all-important north-south axis.