THE Master Plan for the University of Texas
It is not easy for one to convince the masses that his opinion is correct in a certain matter. It is even less easy when the matter at hand is something as sensitive as collegiate architecture. No matter how it is planned, arranged, conceived, and built, someone is bound to be discontent. So how should we go about reconstructing the environment in which our minds are poked and prodded into educational stimulation? Many factors should be taken into consideration: what classes are to be held in the building, how is it going to be related to the buildings around it, etc. It is selfish to say that every building on campus should be Gothic or Spanish Renaissance or of any one architectural type; indeed, I believe that the buildings should reflect what is being taught within the confines of its walls. Therefore I propose that we should adopt the three main different types of architecture that have been described in class: the Gothic style as an embodiment of Liberal Arts; the Classical and Spanish Renaissance styles the manifestation of Fine Arts; the Modernist style being utilized to represent Natural Sciences and other computational and analytical schools of learning – such as Business.
The Gothic style, or – for our purposes – the Victorian Gothic style can be described as “a mode that had sprung from the earlier Gothic Revival, which was characterized by steep roofs, pointed arches, pinnacles, and towers based on the precedent of English Medieval work.”[1] The Victorian Era, which spanned from approximately 1840 to 1901, is known not only for this architectural style, but also for many literary greats such as Dickens, Wilde, Bronte, Carroll, and more; Gothic architecture became closely associated and integrated into their works at this time. These novelists and their works are consistently brought up in English classes from high school through undergraduate studies. Therefore, what better way for a student to understand the focus of their studies than by having them walk down the halls of Rochester’s mansion before entering a class where they will discuss Jane Eyre? Students would then be able to experience the sensation Pip would have as he walked by the house of parliament on one of his excursions through London.
Incorporation of Gothic architecture in the Liberal Arts area of campus would not only serve to enhance English literature, but it would make history classes more vibrant and interesting as well. Gothic architecture itself holds a large history to it, as it is seen in many key monuments in Europe. At one point in the course anthology, the Gothic style is described as “a style of architecture developed in North France that spread throughout Europe between the 12th and 16th centuries.”[2] It is well known that this style is seen prominently in churches; an example we know in class is St. Mary’s Cathedral in downtown Austin. The significance of Gothic architecture being used to build cathedrals is that theology has always taken a major, if not the largest, role in history. Once again, the presence of the dark, savage, and grotesque elements of Gothic architecture would give students perspective on the religious factors that came into play in European and even American History.
In my Second Life campus, a Gothic tower stands on the west side, standing gloriously above the other buildings. This building displays some of the elements of Gothic architecture, such as the rigidness and the chagfullness – which can be noted with the contrast between the triangular spire and the conical spires. However, the defining feature of this tower is the rose window, a characteristic that is found mostly in cathedrals. As students climb up to the top floor of this building, at the end of the hall, they would be able to see the rest of the campus from behind the rose window. This will spark students to take in consideration the religion that took a huge part in literature and history.
It is evident that the College of Liberal Arts should embody the spirit of the Gothic in designing its buildings. This would enable students to immerse themselves in the subject so that it does not become trite and unbearably boring. It would further allow them to comprehend the mood of certain time periods, understanding the viewpoint from which the theocratic societies were able to set up and maintain their religious form of government.
However, the Fine Arts is a different matter; for this, we must dig down to find a deeper root, one that is the root of civilization and technology. Here we must go back in time into the realm of the Greco-Roman empires and consider the beginnings of written history. Not only was it the start of documented history, but also that of drama. These buildings inspired Sophocles, one of the earliest playwrights, and will do the same for our students. It is also known that this was a time in which humanity was noted for its music, as many epic poems, such as Homer’s lengthy Iliad and Odyssey, were recited to audiences in song rather than narration. A student walking between the columns of the Classical buildings would hence be able to sense the spirit of the great playwright who told the story of Oedipus’ sorrowful daughter and the sacrifice she had to make to restore the honor of her dead brother.
However, we shall not only employ Classical architecture with Fine Arts, but also incorporate the Spanish Renaissance style as well. The Renaissance is characterized as a regression into the Classical form of learning and art, and thus we see a return to many Classical elements in architecture, the most prominent being the Roman arch. The parallel between two different schools of thought are rather obvious. However, one preceded the other by well over one and a half thousand years. Therefore with the Renaissance, the world was able to experience music, art, and theater to a much higher degree than with the Classical Era. During this time period, which spanned from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century, the world saw the emergence of genius through men such as Leonardo Da Vinci. He and others managed to bring humanity back into scientific progress using their creativity and open mind.
If one takes a look at my Second Life campus, the Classical building can be found on the east side. On the building there are the Romanesque arches that are an essential part of the Classical style and the slanted red tile roofs that are part of the Spanish Renaissance style. Indeed, these are the same arches that were used to support miles of aqueducts more than two-thousand years ago, the same roofs that spotted the countryside in Spain and Italy. The inspiration that the Greco-Roman and Renaissance eras had on the Fine Arts is undeniable. The bridge in front of the building serves to show the influence that water has on these two styles of architecture, as they both come from the Mediterranean.
Hopefully, with the integration of Classical and Spanish Renaissance architecture in the school of Fine Arts a student would be able to travel back in time and feel the same inspiration that was felt by the great painters and the wise bards when they created their masterpieces. Personally, I would be able to feel the Spanish town of Alhambra and its lush garden, El Generalife, as I played Francisco Tarrega’s “Recuerdos de la Alhambra,” one of the most popular Spanish pieces in the guitar community.
The last style of architecture would resonate with studies that involve science and mathematics, such as the Natural Sciences, College Engineering, and School of Business. For this aspect of education, I believe that we should focus on Modernism; however the term modernism is much too vague and encompasses far too many things in order for me to be able to state that it should represent something. Thus the Modernism on campus would have to incorporate elements from calculus, physics, biology, chemistry, etc. However, even this is a little too vague, thus we will have to look at some examples in order to gain an idea of how I would like the campus to be. An example would be the Gherkin, an ellipsoid of odd proportions that is truncated near the middle. My reasoning behind this argument is that I often find that people who will take a math class will often fail to see the applications of the concepts they are learning. Therefore, what better way is there to demonstrate that calculus and physics are useful than by having the students enter a building that is a manifestation of its concepts?
In terms of the school of Business, the building that stands today serves its purpose well. Not only do I find the angle formed by the glass wall on the south side aesthetically pleasing, but I also feel that the school’s indoor features are appealing as well. On the inside, The McCombs school of Business has one of the most amazing features I have ever seen inside a collegiate building. In the main hall, the walls curve around and at the very top there is a stock ticker that runs around the entire hall. This is the most amazing and useful thing I have ever seen because it is the best way that the building incorporates its school of thought into its architecture.
An example of what I am trying to accomplish can be seen at my Second Life campus, where the north building is in fact a replica of Gaudi’s school of architecture at La Sagrada Familia. Notice the sine curve that is used to make the roof of the building, and the details that ensue. In calculus, the sine curve can be used to parametrically describe a circle and its derivative is the cosine curve – that is, the slope of the sine curve is described by the cosine function. Having students on campus ponder such things on their free will would enhance interest in mathematical concepts, as they would see how these ideas can be applied. Having these elements displayed would also get the student in the mindset for a science class, even if that student just had a literature class.
Modernism is the best bet when it comes to learning the ways that the world functions, especially what the buildings are manipulated to directly serve and represent the school. The most efficient method of inciting a person into actively learning a scientific concept is witnessing its true form rather than a string of numbers and variables; learning is always more fun when one can apply it to the real world and not have to depend on the theoretical.
One possible criticism of the way my master plan is set up is that the campus would be split into three different campuses if it follows what I have described. This would be an alienation of the unity that we celebrate so often in class. However, in class we always ask ourselves “WHO am I?” I might not know myself completely, but I know myself well enough to know that I celebrate diversity; in a world where diversity is smiled upon, I believe that it would be in the best interest of the campus to change things a little bit and deviate from the norm of having one style that must be stuck to. Austin is one of the greatest melting pots in the Nation, housing some of the most liberal and conservative people around. The range of moral and ethical views should be reflected by the range of architectural styles employed in building the university.
Looking at the visual example of my ideal campus on Second Life, one can see the three different styles of architecture facing each other. It seems as if they welcome each other, the contrast between them creating a bond as they each stand tall in their splendor. Indeed, having the campus structured this way brings out the magnificence in the different styles rather than having them be seen or ordinary. It is only when one encounters various different kinds of architecture when that person stops to think about how they are put together. Having a few isolated cases of one style on a campus – mush like the Littlefield mansion on UT – puts it out of place. But when brought to equilibrium, the three styles accentuate one another by displaying the sheer differences.
Regardless, I firmly believe that all of the UT campus, with the exception of the McCombs School of Business, should be completely razed and built from the ground up. The arrangement of the architecture has gone far too haywire with some buildings deviating from others in a search for cost and time efficiency. It’s too late to try to fix things. If we want to follow my master plan, the only possible way to do so would be to begin from ground zero; we will, of course, have all the land by the Colorado River to start anew with, and instead of putting our feet in Waller Creek, we can take a swim in Town Lake for class.
Word Count: 2184
Word Count without quotations: 2134