Past and Precedent- 10 ideas

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While discussing the Xianyang palace in China and the Acropolis in Greece we discussed ten important elements to consider when observing architecture.  For our group specifically, we discussed precedence and how it relates to the layout of Xianyang and the Acropolis.  Using the ten important ideas, we applied them to UNCG's campus.

Space- Space is very important around the campus of UNCG.  Buildings are spaced pretty equally apart.  The EUC is set in the middle of campus, probably because it is the most commonly used building by all students on campus, much like how the Acropolis is situated in the middle of the village on a hilltop, because it was the communal area.  UNCG's campus takes up alot of land, stretching down Spring Garden,  a fairly busy street in the Greensboro community.

Precedent- Precedence is important because it sets the stage and inspires all events that are to follow the original event.  In this case, the setting of the important buildings is the important idea to think about.  Buildings were set in the middle of cities so as to suggest that they are the meeting place for all people.  For UNCG, the EUC is set in the middle of campus, which is in the heart of Greensboro, only minutes away from downtown.  


Size- Size is represented by the size of the buildings on campus.  Many of the buildings are kept at a reasonable height, so as not to create building pollution and crowd the skies with ugly bricks.  The tallest building on campus, the Jackson Library.  It makes sense for the library to be the most prominent building, according to height (and the stark contrast in color and style that sometimes resembles a state prison facility), because it holds all of the books, history, and potential for the students of UNCG.


Scale- Scale is important because it helps some buildings look more impressive than others.  Though the Jackson Library is situated around buildings that take up a lot of space, it is built vertically, so it looks larger than the buildings around it.  

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Experience- UNCG's campus is designed as a halfway closed campus, meaning it is closed to regular automobile traffic.  The lack of traffic going through the middle of campus (College Avenue) makes the walk from class to class, as you only have to worry about dodging cars around Spring Garden.  The campus is set up very grid like in the middle of campus, as the Library, Music Building, Education Building, and Human Environment Sciences office have paths that meet together and form an intersection in the middle of campus.  The intersection of these sidewalks are also located close to buildings used regularly by all students; the EUC and the Caf.  


Principles- The most important principle of the school is education; learning and teaching.  The intersection of the sidewalks on College Ave not only marks a populated area on campus, it also marks the founding cornerstones of the Women's College, before it was the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  Those four principles are learning/studying (Library-books), Education (Curry Building, School of education), Music (Music Building), and HES offices (Home ec-like majors, Consumer Apparel, Nutrition, Family Studies).  The principles are evident as being very prominent, but not up to date, as UNCG has branched out and has a growing Nursing School, Business School, Art School, and Interior Architecture School, none of which are included in the meeting of the sidewalks)


Site- UNCG is located in the heart of Greensboro.  Just minutes from downtown, students can walk to many places around Greensboro and never be more than ten minutes from home.  Living in Greensboro is an eclectic mix too; you have the feel of a small city, but you still get that down-home feeling because you are in North Carolina.


Order-  UNCG's campus is ordered pretty well, in that the foundations of the school are very grid like and align well enough.  New additions and renovations don't seem like the designer had the history and the original design of the school in mind.  The campus is almost separated.  There is the main area around College Ave, the Music building area (it's kind of a long distance from Curry to the Music building), Gatewood and the Weatherspoon Art Museum, the Bryan School, and the new Science building/Nursing school area.  I sometimes wish the flow of the campus was a little more though out, as I sometimes find myself wandering through gaps in buildings trying to find where I need to go.

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Technology- Having gone to Appalachian State University my first year of college, it is easy to compare UNCG to App technology wise.  Overall, UNCG is well past App's technology, with new computers, interactive things around campus, the noises that come from the walk/do not walk signs- UNCG is clearly ahead of Appalachian.  UNCG also has more computer labs available around campus, with more computers in every lab (really super convenient!)  The technology that UNCG lacks is green technology.  Appalachian is on a quest for a sustainable campus.  At orientation I was given a Nalgene bottle and heavily encouraged not to drink bottled water.  Even more encouraging- App has water bottle fill stations beside most of their water fountains, making it more than easy to re use your water bottle.  


Surface- Upon first impression, UNCG has alot of red brick.  It is not until you walk around campus and see all of the red brick that you realize that there are many different kinds and styles, depending on the era it was built.  The brick pathway through the park on spring garden, most of the buildings, parking decks, and even the historic Foust Building.  No school could be more of a brick jungle than NC State, so the brick around our campus is pleasing enough to the eye, especially with the great foliage brought to us by our friendly lawn and grounds crews.