 |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
Rise in Tornadoes, Floods Poses Risk to Colleges
What if the sort of extreme weather that has left the University of Iowa inundated in floodwaters is not a freak event? What if it is a sign of things to come? (Photograph by AP Images)
Art & Architecture Renovations Near Completion at Yale U.
Paul Rudolph's 1963 Brutalist icon is getting a makeover, plus an addition by Charles Gwathmey.
Guest Blogger: Anne Stephenson
Even the greenest construction project increases a college’s carbon footprint.
Other News
Land-Rich Universities Weigh New Options for Real-Estate Development
Universities are taking advantage of new ways to develop their holdings through corporate partnerships, a new report says.
U. of Iowa Begins Mucking Out and Assessing the Damage
The university's insurer spent the weekend starting to assess the damage to the auditorium and 19 other flooded buildings.
U. of Iowa Flooding Takes Costly Toll in Research and Equipment
Parking lots are under water, some roads leading to the campus are closed, and the campus utility infrastructure is damaged.
New campus buildings
Multimedia
A Green Building as a Billboard for Science
(A 2006 Chronicle video)
Subscribe
Subscribe to Buildings & Grounds in a feed reader.
Get the Buildings & Grounds widget for Facebook, Myspace, or your own blog.
About Buildings & Grounds
Buildings & Grounds is written by Scott Carlson (left) and Lawrence Biemiller (right). Scott Carlson writes about architecture, facilties, energy, and sustainability, among other topics. Lawrence Biemiller writes about architecture and facilities and contributes to Notes from Academe. What's happening on your campus? Let us know.
Harvard U. Takes a New Look at Expansion Across the River
Drew Faust, president of Harvard University, is reconsidering a planned expansion to a new campus across the Charles River, The Boston Globe reports.
According to the Globe. a $1-billion science complex will proceed as planned. But Harvard officials will reconsider moving undergraduate residences to the area. Faculty members have been concerned about how the expansion will affect the cohesiveness of the Cambridge campus, and they criticized Lawrence Summers, then the university’s president, for not consulting more widely about the plans.
Residents in the Allston neighborhood, where the new campus would be located, also welcome reconsideration of the plan, the Globe notes. They want more benefits for the community from Harvard.
Behnisch Architects, a prominent green-architecture firm, has been picked to design the campus. The firm’s initial concepts have included designing a walkable campus on a human scale.
The reconsideration of the Allston plan closely follows announcement of an expansion by Boston College. Some residents in the nearby Brighton neighborhood were unhappy with those plans.
Scott Carlson | Wednesday December 12, 2007 | Permalink | Contact usComments
Previous: Student Housing for Villa Maria College Scrutinized by State Officials
Next: Shop Talk: Fate of an Old Main in Minot, Vandalism in Arizona, and More
To elaborate, members of the community do not just want “more benefits”. We are seeking a true partnership in actions, not just words, where Harvard and its neighboring community find common goals and interests in the future success of this neighborhood.
Harvard has been relentlessly land-banking our community for the last decade, and we hope that instead it will adopt an attitude more in line with what Rodin and Gutman have had at UPenn. A university-assisted school like the ones created by Penn and Clark is more than a “benefit for the community”. It is also a benefit for Harvard and its affiliates who might someday want to live in Allston, teach or volunteer at the school, and for the teachers it trains in its Education school.
And for institutions like Harvard who are training the future leaders of the world in our post-Enron age, to teach its students about citizenship, ethics, and corporate social responsibility, a great thing to do is for the institution itself to be socially conscious and exemplary in its own deeds.
— Harry Mattison Dec 12, 08:55 AM #
I spent a few years at an institution that is in the shadow of Harvard. When they first began talking about the Allston area I was intrigued and I still am. At one point they (under President Summers) were actually talking about moving Mass Pike to accommodate their expansion plans. Can you imagine that? The project is akind to moving the Statue of Liberty, decking Lake Shore Drive or building a fly over in San Fransisco. That is Mass Pike is perhaps the main expressway through a very crowded section of Boston and a large part of the infamous and recently “completed” big dig. At the time, and still, I wonder whether the big dig will cost more or will the development of Allston by Harvard. I have often referenced Harvard as I know many in higher education do. One reference when I have discussed them is that if buildings, and not people, were so important to higher education, then Harvard would be the size of all of Boston. The reality is that most institutions need the context of the buildings to offer incredible experiences to students, to house faculty work and to create a community of the mind. That written, buildings and the focus on expansion dominates discourse at too many institutions of higher education in ways that are less than productive and not mission focused. Perhaps Harvard is an exemplary on this score but I wonder if they are talking about how the development of Allston can make them more excellent academically (yes, that is always possible) even better scholars and both community and global leaders in higher education. I have to believe that they are aspiring to achieve even higher levels of excellence. Certainly the rest of us may learn something by watching what they do in Allston?
— Jeff Senese Dec 12, 08:56 AM #
Blah, blah, blah.
In the interests of full disclosure, I am not a Harvard grad. Obviously, Harvard is one of the most important academic institutions in the world and certainly more important than Allston, period. The school will do what it needs to do, and I’m sure that it will do its best to accomodate the neighbors. You knuckleheads move into areas like Allston, Brighton, and Chestnut Hill and suddenly are surprised when nearby universities seek to expand. Wake up, folks. Moreover, Harvard is not “land banking” anything. This is America, not Cuba, dopes. Harvard buys land, just like BC and other schools do. There is no “true partnership” with the neighbors. When you moved into the neighborhood, did you take a poll with the existing residents to see what color they would allow you to paint your house or whether shutters of a certain style were acceptable? Jesus Christmas. Be happy that Harvard is a gorgeous school that funnels millions of dollars into the neighborhood every year. You would be best served by focusing your attention elsewhere.
— Bob Abouy Dec 12, 10:08 AM #
As an actual resident of Allston and Brighton, all the commercial property in my neighborhood is owned by Harvard and store and property owners talk often about Harvard raising rents and pushing out long-time residents. There is a big difference between what Harvard is doing (it IS land banking) and what other schools do. While all schools buy up surrounding property, there is a lack of cooperation and community improvement with Harvard.
Harvard is a nice looking school, but I’d love to see any of those millions you talk about being funneled here. They aren’t improving public transportation, utilities, businesses, or even the condition of the roads (they are just awful heading into Allston); they are improving Harvard without respect for their neighbors and THAT is the difference and THAT is why our attention is best served helping Harvard see the difference between doing what is right for the community and what is right for Harvard alone. This isn’t some community activists trying to stand in the way of “progress” and “Harvard’s god-given right to do what they want,” this is a community assuming that universities act as good stewards and community members. My neighbors and I look forward to a reconsideration of these plans and more dialogue. Thank you Drew Faust.
— Living in Allston Dec 12, 04:05 PM #
As a former employee of the Harvard administration, I recall when we started buying property in Allston secretly through surrogates. I was amazed at the time at the disrespect and arrogance of the institution with regard to the communities that host it and provide its services. I also remember when Harvard’s holdings in Allston were made public and the behind the doors disdain for the residents in Allston. Harvard has less and less to do with the ideals of higher eduction and more to do with education as a brand and business. I can’t wait for the day that the civic hosts see the light, revoke its tax exempt status, and the University is forced to act as a responsible citizen. We would not have tolerated such behaviour from Genzyme, Polaroid, or other corporate entities along the Charles River.
— Higher Ed Administrator Dec 12, 04:16 PM #