In with the New and In with the Old

Picture 1: The Middle Ground

In our search for the perfect style of collegiate architecture for our campus, I find that we often disagree over whether we should fight to keep the past or advance to embrace the future. Regardless of whether we are arguing about Gothic or Modern architecture, there seems to be an unspoken consensus among us on how each lacks a certain relevance to nature, academia, God, and in some cases, society. If such is the case, we are left with no working middle ground in our search for a campus that will suffice to our criteria. Because of the aforementioned problems, I thus present a style that is not frequently mentioned. The middle ground I could not find earlier, I discovered in postmodernism.

As a concept, postmodernism is difficult to define and “hard to locate temporally or historically, because it is not clear when postmodernism begins.”¹ Though this may seem to initially harbor a negative connotation, postmodernism instead carries an air of flexibility for the field of architecture. Whereas the Gothic style had been confined to a specific period of history, the postmodernist style is unbounded, existing in past, present, and future. And where modernism entails a “deliberate break with classical and traditional forms or methods of expression,”² using a style most often characterized by Le Corbusier's “floating box,” postmodernism seeks to revive the traditional forms of symbolism and combine them with “familiar shapes and details that are used in unexpected ways.”³

The idea of modernism implies the abolition and “sunder[ance of] all stylish and historic links with the past.”⁴ Though one may quickly associate this with postmodernism, the latter causes no detriment to our Texan heritage and history. In fact, we find that postmodernism will serve as the medium that will be used to solve two dilemmas: preserving tradition in our past and maintaining progression in our future. Rightfully so, it can be concluded that postmodernism is not intrinsically a physical style of architecture like that of the Gothic, the Spanish, or the Mediterranean. Because of postmodernism's complexity, there is no stereotypical or “standard” structure upon which the campus should be based. Instead, the style must be viewed as a guideline as to how our college campus is to be planned. Utilizing postmodernism, elements of our modern day and those of the past will be integrated into one.

Picture 3: Our progressing society

Picture 2: Salamanca: Spanish architecture

As mentioned in the original master plan of The University of Texas at Austin, “We must design every element in a way that serves our architectural heritage, the adjacent environments, the broad goals of the university, and the highly specific demands of our academic and research programs.”⁵ From Faulkner's own words, the first problem in determining a style of collegiate architecture surfaces: How are we to satisfy both the requirements of our Texan heritage and meet the demands of our diverse academic foundations if we are to identify our campus with only a singular style of architecture? In one sense, we find that the most suitable style for our campus is that of the Spanish and Mediterranean, given the cultural background of Texas. However, this style alone will not satisfy the full criteria established. Though in compliance with the first intention of cultural heritage, the style itself does not wholly reflect the goals and demands of our academic university as we progress. Albeit these goals change with time, one can assert that those goals and demands are of its inhabitants, in which case, we, as students and faculty, look to the purpose of an academic institution as a way to improve and advance ourselves and society through education. Once again, (words omitted) postmodernism justifies itself as the answer to the problem.

Picture 4: Robert Venturi

Picture 5: Allen Memorial Arts Museum Ionic Column

The implementation of postmodernism as the master plan will not entail a complete overturn and reformation of our current campus. Instead, the style will modify buildings that already exist, compensating for whichever “missing piece” that they lack. Robert Venturi, a Pritzker prize recipient who is renowned for his work in the theory and utilization of postmodern architecture, emphasizes this harmonizing concept as he “uses a form of symbolically decorated architecture based on precedents” in his postmodernist work.⁶ One of the best examples of his work can be found in the Allen Memorial Arts Museum at Oberlin College. There, a large wooden column possessing an "ionic" style is incorporated into the modernistic context of the building.

Picture 6: King Street

Where we previously discussed the Spanish-Mediterranean style of architecture, we can do so again under the medium of postmodernism. What was initially missing from the architectural heritage is now completed as modern elements are introduced to ensure consistency with our educational goals. In effect, if we were to add and incorporate “new building materials, such as glass, steel, and concrete” that are found in modernism and incorporate them with traditional forms and styles, both standards in the original master plan are satisfied.⁷ Such is in the case of the King Street building of Christ's college in Cambridge, where we find traces of its history etched into its walls, combined with long glass windows, traditional shapes, and unexpected arrangements.

Picture 7: The Ray and Maria Stata center

Because of postmodernism's complex definition, one may argue that its flexibility will hinder itself from fully satisfying the academic demands of our institution. However, the idea of postmodernism emphasizes the progression that our society is undergoing and expresses it through styles taken from the past. Because of the close correlation between education and the progress of society, there is a present (albeit indirect) influence that postmodernism has on academics. And in one sense, what “the place teaches” is societal progress. Frank Gehry, an acclaimed postmodern desconstructivist architect, shows that the correlation is extremely feasible in the Ray and Maria Stata Building at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: “The design of the Stata Center was governed by MIT's major planning principles, which call for buildings that are generous in spirit, have the flexibility to meet the changing needs of an academic environment, and are durable in materials and in assembly.”⁸

In effect, the master plan of UT must harness the same postmodern spirit that is incorporated into the King Street and Stata buildings. Though our campus buildings do not have to take on the exact styles, they must embrace the idea behind them. Thus, this master plan for UT does not deviate from its original intent: “This work ... reflects the profound sense of spirit we all share; it shows an energetic search for positive change without abandoning the ideals that got us here...”⁹ In the case that we find ourselves wondering which style will best preserve our Texan heritage, the existing Spanish and Mediterranean styles on campus will be used.

Picture 8: Jester Dormitory: The Modern Prison

Picture 9: Gordon Wu Hall at Princeton University

The addition of postmodernism into the master plan does not signify large-scale operations where buildings will be razed and new ones built in place of them. In reality, modifications would simply be made to the existing ones on campus to ensure that they meet the standards set forth by our predecessors. An example of this can be seen in our notorious Jester Dormitory, branded as a “prison” or other unofficial labels. The style of the edifice can already be classified as modern, with the majority of the building reminiscent of “squat concrete blockhouses and impersonal skyscrapers.”¹⁰ To modify Jester, one can induce the same principles used in the Gordon Wu Hall at Princeton University, which was designed with the same uses that we associate with Jester: an all-purpose social building that houses administrative offices and dining halls. The difference, however, is that Wu Hall exhibits a style that is reminiscent of its history: “In Wu Hall, the keystones, the heraldic pattern over the entrance, the gentle Tudor-Gothic bay windows, as well as the stone balls at the base of the steps all seem naturally to define a set of paths through the Princeton campus that no previous modern building was able to do...."¹¹

Picture 10: The UT Tower: Now

An exemplar of what is to be expected from a postmodern-Spanish style of architecture is found in a modified model of The University of Texas at Austin's tower. Much of the university revolves around this distinct building on campus. Whether there is a lost student using the tower as a point of reference or a faculty member hosting a discussion session in its library, the UT tower is one of the most treasured and revered icons on campus. Regardless of one's identity at UT, the tower “has a significance that is personal to each one. It is what symbolizes the University.”¹² Because of this tower's importance and influence on campus, it will be modified to show the efficacy of postmodernism.

Picture 11: The UT Tower: Revamped

Picture 12: Close-up of the tower and its clock face

The basic model displayed in this image provides an idea of what a postmodern-Spanish building entails. Materials such as glass and steel, notably found in our modern day, are incorporated into the original structure of the tower. Though the model may seem to exhibit qualities that are more characteristic of today than the past, it should be noted and ensured that many historically significant parts of the tower, such as its clock faces and inscription of “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free”¹³ in the connecting main building, are to be preserved. As the postmodern definition is applied to the tower, the style evolves into the middle ground that is needed in the campus plan. The tower is neither Spanish nor is it modern. Rather, it is a balance of both. By merging two elements that were originally considered discordant, postmodernism has managed to reflect the past and the present.

Picture 13: The Tower Gardens Turtle Pond

Picture 14: The "Six-Pack" Lawn

The task of incorporating a balance between buildings and nature also remains as an criterion in determining our collegiate environment. As mentioned in the original master plan, the campus must suitably establish “a community of landscaped open spaces, working in concert with buildings to extend and reknit the campus.”¹⁴ Though postmodernism will deeply root itself in the design of campus buildings, it will not influence the actual landscape and “nature” of campus. In effect, places such as the Turtle Pond and the Lawn on the “Six-Pack” already serve their purposes in providing an “escape” from the collegiate life. The only consideration that should be taken into the shift to postmodernism is that the new modifications to the buildings must not intrude upon these designated areas.

Picture 15: Student Union Griffins

Even as we discuss what the master plan of The University of Texas ought to be at this point, the UT campus is intrinsically making its transition into postmodernism. In places such as Welch Hall and the Student Union that already display eclectic styles of old architecture, the social impetus is slowly being accommodated. Next time you are walking down the halls of the Student Union to buy a meal or to attend a meeting, take note of the plasma-screen television sets that are broadcasting slide shows of advertisements and announcements. What you will find are screens existing alongside carvings of Gothic griffins and other symbols of history.

And the next time you are listening to a chemistry lecture in Welch Hall, pay specific attention to the stereo system that is emitting the voice of your professor who, at the same time, is speaking into a microphone and bringing up slides on an projector screen. You will find that these technological tools of our modern day are able to coincide and harmonize with a style reminiscent of the Mediterranean that is expressed on the exterior of the building.

Picture 16: Welch Hall exterior

The transition towards the complexity we know as postmodernism is exhibited in both of these instances and will gradually spread. And though our campus is not yet postmodern in the definitive sense, it soon will be.

1 Klages, Mary, Postmodernism, University of Colorado, 2006, http://www.colorado.edu/English/courses/ENGL2012Klages/pomo.html.

2 Composition and Reading in World Literature Course Anthology: MODERNISM, definitions, (Austin: Jenn’s Copying & Binding, 2006), 499.

3 Craven, Jackie, What is Postmodernism? About: Architecture, 2006,

http://architecture.about.com/library/blgloss-postmodernism.htm.

4 Composition and Reading in World Literature Course Anthology: MODERNISM, definitions, (Austin: Jenn’s Copying & Binding, 2006), 499.

5 Larry Faulkner, Composition in World Literature Course Anthology: Message from the President, (Austin: Jenn's Copying & Bidning, 2006), 410.

6 Matthews, Kevin, Robert Venturi, Great Buildings Online, 2006,

http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Robert_Venturi.html.

7 Composition and Reading in World Literature Course Anthology: MODERNISM, definitions, (Austin: Jenn’s Copying & Binding, 2006), 499.

8 Termin, Chris, Ray and Maria Stata Center, MIT Alumni Association,

2006, http://alum.mit.edu/ne/noteworthy/news-features/stata.html.

9 Robert Berdahl, Composition and Reading in World Literature Course Anthology: Regaining a Sense of Community, (Austin: Jenn's Copying & Binding, 2006), 412.

10 Composition and Reading in World Literature Course Anthology: MODERNISM, definitions, (Austin: Jenn’s Copying & Binding, 2006), 499.

11 Matthews, Kevin, Gordon Wu Hall, Great Buildings Online, 2006,

http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Gordon_Wu_Hall.html.

12 Margaret C. Berry, Composition and Reading in World Literature Course Anthology: Brick by Golden Brick, (Austin: Jenn's Copying & Binding, 2006), 385.

13 Margaret C. Berry, Composition and Reading in World Literature Course Anthology: Brick by Golden Brick, (Austin: Jenn's Copying & Binding, 2006), 385.

14 Larry Faulkner, Composition in World Literature Course Anthology: Principles of the Master Plan, (Austin: Jenn's Copying & Bidning, 2006), 416.