A Connection to the Beginning

ÒThe BeginningsÓ Campus Plan

 

                  At a university existing in a modern, urban setting, the traditions of Classic civilization must be remembered. With architectural styles alluding constantly to the past yet always with an eye to the future, contemporary Texans grow into everlasting icons. On a campus brimming with foliage native to the Austin area, students of the University of Texas show great respect for the environment. These characteristics of ÒThe BeginningsÓ campus plan foster in the student body a community of young Texans, of knowledgeable thinkers, of self-defined leaders. Architecturally, ÒThe BeginningsÓ master plan incorporates ancient Greek styles at the center, Greek Revival architecture close to the core, and more modern design on the outskirts. This layout enforces the universityÕs devotion to aiding each student discover his or her place in history. Integrating several key design elements into these buildings underscores maintaining a self-identity while serving as part of a community. Using native timbers and local minerals as building materials suggests the significant role of nature; the mŽlange of environmentally friendly elements such as solar panels teaches the vital responsibility of humanÕs preservation of nature. Overall, the use of classic architectural styles incorporating environmentally friendly features and personal facets at the University of Texas in Austin teach the importance of the world, knowledge, and self.

                  The roughly concentric layout of the ÒThe BeginningsÓ campus plan emphasizes the idea that a solid though flexible collection of core values allows for personal growth. A central plaza with ancient Greek architecture serves as a significant reminder of the roots of Western culture while providing a great location for administrative offices as well as the student union. The proximity of the hub of student activity Ð the student union Ð to the administrative offices provides for a closer relationship between students and decision makers, creating a more unified campus. This propinquity also symbolizes the need of a governing body as well as recreational activities.

                                An example of Greek architecture.[1]              Central campus in SecondLife[2]

 

Surrounding this plaza exist four buildings: the astronomy building in the northwest corner, the philosophy building in the northeast corner, the music building in the southeast corner, and the mathematics building in the southwest corner. These departments mirror the focuses of ancient Greek education[3] while connecting the other eight main colleges of the University of Texas to the innermost quadrilateral. In this

 

 

                                An example of Greek Revival Architecture[4]              

             An example of Greek Revival Architecture[5]

campus plan, the main colleges of the University are arranged in four quadrangles consisting of buildings of Greek revival architecture. The astronomy building heads a quadrangle including the College of Natural Sciences and the Nursing and Pre-Medicine departments; the philosophy building heads a quadrangle including the College of Business and the College of Communications; the music building heads the quadrangle including the College of Fine Arts and the College of Liberal Arts; finally, the mathematics building heads the quadrangle including the College of Engineering and the College of Architecture. This layout reminds each student of the roots of western education in Greek culture, thus conveying the interconnectedness of the world both geographically and through time. The general transition of the architecture from ancient to modern allows a unique architectural pattern that preserves the comfort of students by avoiding bizarre academic buildings and ÒThe BeginningsÓ campus map encourages creativity in the students by creating unconventional recreational and administrative buildings.

                                             An example of more modern design[7]                                                                                                                                                                                                      An example of more modern design[8]

 ÒThe BeginningsÓ campus map[6 

Apart from the lessons learned from architectural style and physical layout, ÒThe BeginningsÓ campus plan for the University of Texas uses environmentally friendly features and local building materials; this teaches those who frequent campus the importance of the environment and nature in Texas. The sunny, warm climate of Austin makes it an     ]ideal place for the use of solar energy;[9] thus each building should have a maximum number of solar panels fitted to the roof. The sloping roofs of the Greek Revival style prove perfect for the use of solar panels. This is one of many ways the campus can be environmentally friendly. Public restrooms must conserve water; lit areas must conserve energy through the use of timers and motion detector lights; copying centers must have easy access to recycled materials and recycling facilities. Beyond buildings themselves, the ÒThe BeginningsÓ campus plan provides for electric buses and rewards students who drive sparingly. These environmental protections serve to teach the importance of maintaining the environment; the use of local building materials further emphasizes the importance of nature on the University of Texas campus.

 

A solar cell[10]                                               An energy efficient light bulb[11]                       A water-conserving toilet[12]

Under this plan, construction materials primarily include EdwardÕs Aquifer limestone, the Òpearl greyÓ Oatman Creek granite, or the pink Llano county granite.[13] The timbers used to construct the buildings are all trees native to Texas: Mesquite, cedar, and pecan trees all provide hard wood suitable for construction.[14] Any bricks used are made from local clays. The modern emphasis on nature as part of education, or at the least, as part of what the place teaches, conflicts with the Greek view of nature as something to be improved upon: ÒIn the first place, Greeks seldom think of ÔnatureÕ as a teacher, or of the school as doing in a specific way what experience, left to itself, already does in a generic wayÉAs a technical art, education represents, not nature, but a human improvement upon nature.Ó[15] Thus, in order to maintain the focus on classic education and its roots, the natural elements must be included in subtle ways, such as the environmentally friendly attributes and careful use of building materials.

As the architectural styles teach the importance of history and the respect for the local environment teaches the importance of the physical world, so the specific design elements teach the importance of the individual in the community. According to Arthur Goldberg, former United StatesÕ Secretary of Labor, Supreme Court Justice, and ambassador to the United Nations, ÒThe greatest value of an education is a strong sense of curiosity.Ó[16] These elements include the simple yet decorated and commodious interiors of buildings, the careful inclusion of niches, the location of dormitories, and finally the campus-encompassing exercise path. The interior of each building should be an area of solace for students and professors, an environment where students feel accepted and open to new ideas. Specifically, benches and chairs line walls that are painted shades of color

 

                                                  A comfortable interior[17] 

                                

Another interior[18] 

rather than whites and off-whites. Bookcases are fitted into corners, crown molding connects wood-paneled walls to plain or ornamented ceilings, and heavy chandeliers hang in common areas in the academic buildings. Opulent addendums such as these serve to give the university a prestige unsurpassed by other public schools. Most importantly, the detail and comfort of the interior should either match or surpass that of the exterior. This concept, embodied in the buildings, serves as a model for the students themselves who must develop a polished initial impression but, more importantly, must maintain an engaging personality. Since the insides of the buildings serve as a grounds where professors and students can casually intermingle, the outsides must provide a sense privacy without destroying the sense of community. Students must have a place where they can go to study, to think, and to interact with close groups of friends. The inclusion of niches and small courtyards accomplishes this sense of privacy in the otherwise public setting of a campus.  Further, these details enable students to develop their own worlds, a strategy necessary to the modern man. According to J. Hillis Miller: ÒThe new type of man is the romantic artist, the man who in the absence of a given world must create his own.Ó[19] These design elements serve to create an academic yet individualistic atmosphere, teaching the importance of self-identity.

A sense of community must nevertheless coincide with this academic, individualistic atmosphere. The quadrangles begin to develop this community; however placing dorms in the top stories of each departmental building furthers this concept. The dorms thus serve to create a sense of identity in each student both with his or her subject and his or her peers in that area. Like on the George Washington University campus where several dorms sit atop an academic building and students participate in ÒcohortsÓ based on academic interests,[20] the University of Texas ÒThe BeginningsÓ campus plan provides housing for students of a particular major or set of majors in the top stories of academic buildings. This leads to the development of casual relationships among students with common interests, which often leads to a greater level of focus and perception. Thus, a sense of unity and cohesiveness band the students.

The final element, though a minor detail, serves to unite the campus as a whole, incorporates two Greek ideas, and gently separates the campus from the city of Austin. This element is a walking path. A simple walking path encircling campus will better define the perimeter where the University of Texas meets Austin, creating a more definite sense of place and a certain locale where students feel more open to learning rather than divided between the concerns of the city and their studies. The track also serves as a reminder of the Greek ideal of the perfect body, encouraging physical fitness. Another idea this track evokes which is reminiscent of Greece is the idea of Òmovements to and fro or from place toÓ Ð a definition from the Oxford English Dictionary of the word Òperipatetic.Ó According to the Oxford English Dictionary, this term referred to Aristotle who walked about often when teaching. This idea was part of an early plan for the university: ÒIt [the campus walk] was an ideal place for dates and served as a meeting place for friends. In 1913, the businessmen of Austin raised money to pave the walk. É but its identity was almost lost as numerous other campus walks were built.Ó[21] This final touch adds a feeling of unity and completion to the University of Texas, ensuring the UniversityÕs identity in conjunction with that of the city of Austin.

The three main objectives of ÒThe BeginningsÓ campus plan Ð to teach the importance of the world, of knowledge, and of self-identity Ð are thus fulfilled. Varied aspects of the campus, ranging from building materials to architectural styles, from environmentally friendly energy sources to intellectually friendly nooks, and from community centered quads to the historically centered layout, combine to make this plan the most fitting for the University of Texas.

 

Word Count: 1570                                                                                                  

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