The whole Marlon Blackwell thing

dislike. a lot. that is absolutely going to look like shite in 10 years.

It doesn't do much for me judging off the photos.

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dislike. a lot. that is absolutely going to look like shite in 10 years.

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What makes you say that?

He's a great architect, just ask him.







j/k

Well it makes people talk about it and the architect behind it.

If it were just another building, it wouldn't be discussed here...

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I hate the spot, and I hate the addition to a historic building.

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Agreed. I saw it for the first time this past fall when I was strolling with my son on campus, and my first thought was "WTF is that?" It's not a terribly ugly building by itself, but it's an eyesore as an addition to an historic building like Vol Walker.

It'd be like if they added a neo-modern, glass-filled sleek addition to Old Main.

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Agreed. I saw it for the first time this past fall when I was strolling with my son on campus, and my first thought was "WTF is that?" It's not a terribly ugly building by itself, but it's an eyesore as an addition to an historic building like Vol Walker.

It'd be like if they added a neo-modern, glass-filled sleek addition to Old Main.

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I think it makes sense considering Vol Walker's purpose, which is as the home of the School of Architecture. You guys are judging the addition based on the context of Vol Walker's historical architectural style, but you're ignoring the true context, which is the purpose of Vol Walker and the addition itself.

Adding a modern addition to Old Main would make zero sense, because it's home to departments like philosophy and anthropology.

edit: I understand that the average person will not think of Vol Walker and the addition as the home of the School of Architecture. They'll see a modern building stuck onto a historical building, and they won't get it. But architecture isn't necessarily for the average viewer's sake.

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I think it makes sense considering Vol Walker's purpose, which is as the home of the School of Architecture. You guys are judging the addition based on the context of Vol Walker's historical architectural style, but you're ignoring the true context, which is the purpose of Vol Walker and the addition itself.

Adding a modern addition to Old Main would make zero sense, because it's home to departments like philosophy and anthropology.

edit: I understand that the average person will not think of Vol Walker and the addition as the home of the School of Architecture. They'll see a modern building stuck onto a historical building, and they won't get it. But architecture isn't necessarily for the average viewer's sake.

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No, actually, I very much get it, I just don't like it.

I get that yes, it houses the SOA and is essentially a representation of what the architecture department is capable of, but I don't necessarily want that in the same way that I wouldn't want some colorful art mural on the side of Ole Main or a bunch of advertisements or branding on the side of the COB.

Granted, I'm probably grasping at straws with my analogies, but you can both get it and not like it.

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No, actually, I very much get it, I just don't like it.

I get that yes, it houses the SOA and is essentially a representation of what the architecture department is capable of, but I don't necessarily want that in the same way that I wouldn't want some colorful art mural on the side of Ole Main or a bunch of advertisements or branding on the side of the COB.

Granted, I'm probably grasping at straws with my analogies, but you can both get it and not like it.

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I don't think it's showing what they're capable of doing, I think it's meant to literally and metaphorically bridge the past and the present of architecture. It does a lot more than that, but I think that's a big part of the design.

Another part is that trying to make the addition blend in would arguably do more harm to the historical wing of Vol Walker than the actual addition does. Why? Because making the addition indistinguishable from the historical wing would fundamentally change the original Vol Walker. By designing an addition that constrasts starkly in aesthetic, the historical wing is preserved, and even highlighted.

I understand that people don't like the modern aesthetic of the new wing, but I think that distaste can be tempered by an appreciation of what the design accomplishes.