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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)
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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.
Guest Blogger: Syracuse U. Helps Create Vibrant Public Spaces Downtown
The Warehouse, in Syracuse, N.Y. (Photograph by David Heald)
When I was a student at Syracuse University, the institution seemed aloof and distant from the city that gave it its name. The topographic split between the hilltop university and the city below reinforced both the distance and the socio-cultural barrier. I rarely ventured downtown.
 Mark McVay |
Last week, I experienced many welcome surprises when I returned to my undergraduate alma mater after 21 years. While its building is being renovated, the university’s School of Architecture has temporarily moved into a building known as “The Warehouse.” It’s one of many buildings that are a part of a rebirth in downtown Syracuse.
The renovation of the Warehouse—by Richard Gluckman, of the New York architecture firm Gluckman Mayner Architects—features big windows that put the frenetic activity of the School of Architecture’s design studios on display to passersby. Martin Marciano, the firm’s project manager for the Warehouse, told me the windows were meant to serve as a billboard advertising the school to an arts district that has formed around the Armory Building, a historic structure nearby. Where visitors once feared to tread, a vibrant public space is now full of color and light—an important development, because an essential element in the study of architecture is learning about the role that public space has in forming civic life.
Much of the impetus for developments in Syracuse can be attributed to two extraordinary Syracuse University leaders: the chancellor, Nancy Cantor, and the dean of the College of Architecture, Mark Robbins. These two are at the center of a new coalition between the city and the university. Joint ventures now exist to imagine what was once almost unimaginable, such as a biotech-research park and a series of urban-renewal projects that aim at single-family houses and at converting underutilized buildings to new uses. Former manufacturing buildings are being reborn as loft-type housing, and many graduate students have chosen to live in area around the Armory Building, rather than in traditional off-campus housing closer to the university.
Other cities have enjoyed urban renewals, of course. What’s interesting in Syracuse is the role played by the university, and specifically by the School of Architecture. Syracuse architecture students learn by working on exciting local projects, and they experience the results firsthand. While the curriculum in the studio and the classroom keeps the school ranked among the top U.S. architecture colleges, it is new developments in the city itself that will have the most lasting impact on students.
Public spaces in a university environment are precious—they are where interaction and debate have always taken place. The opportunities for growth and exchange of ideas grow exponentially when the public space of a university and a city intersect. Can more be done to advance this coalition? What about the desire of undergraduates who live on the campus to study closer to home? When the renovation is complete, what’s the fate of the Warehouse? How do such partnerships outlast the current leadership? These questions and more form the basis of a strong beginning. Couple this with the “real” design experience students receive, and you have a formula for an amazing education. —Mark McVay
Mark McVay, one of this month’s guest bloggers, is design director in the Los Angeles office of the architecture firm SmithGroup. You can read his previous posts here, here, and here.
Buildings & Grounds | Wednesday April 23, 2008 | Permalink | Contact usComments
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Are you aware that the School of Architecture is coming back to campus this fall? And that many students and faculty are very unhappy at being forced to be in the Warehouse?
— Kathryn Lee Apr 28, 11:54 AM #
I’m aware that the move to the warehouse has been controversial, and temporary. Slocum Hall’s renovation is taking shape and promises to create a more active “public” environment within the school for the exchange of ideas. The extended travel of students from traditional on-campus housing and other classes is offset by the benefits of practical experience provided by the warehouse. The real questions are how to continue the positive benefits of being engaged with the city when the school returns to campus?
— Mark Apr 28, 12:31 PM #
One of the hallmarks of the School of Architecture has always been practical experience. They need not be separated from the campus to get that.
— Kathryn Lee Apr 29, 02:43 PM #
My question is about the “series of urban-renewal projects that aim at single-family houses and at converting underutilized buildings to new use”, will the urban-renewal project be aimed at revitalizing current housing for the low-income people currently living in the neighborhoods?
— Janet Apr 30, 02:28 PM #
And how exactly does sperating staff and faculty from thier campus help them to gain social interaction with other students?
Also, what about students with lower incomes? How will they be able to keep up with the current plans for ‘urban-renewal’?
— Travis May 1, 09:16 AM #
The program of renovating single famiily houses is called the “Near Westside Neighborhood Initiative” Very few of the homes in this neighborhood are owner-occupied. Unfortunately, alot of the homes have been rentals for years w/ derelict landlords. And the majority (I think something like 70%) have been vacant for years. They are typically community residents, and the few homeowners have typically been in the neighborhood for 20-30years. Home Headquarters (a not for profit group) now owns or is in the process of owning 40 homes and/or vacant lots. The plan is to renovate and the sell them to individual homeowners (for $30k-$40k). Home Headquarters seems to want to encourage a) not only non-owners to stay in the neighborhood (possibly relocating as/if needed as homes are renovated) but b) to also assist/encourage these renters to buy. I think having the school involved in an initiative like this is excellent experience for the students – and will ultimately benefit one of the most impoverished areas in upstate new york – a great objective to accomplish.
— Mark May 2, 07:04 PM #
Thank you very much for explaining the plans for the West Side. This is very exciting and a long time coming. I also think it will be a great project for the students to understand inner city problems and have a hand in solving those problems. I know that Habitat for Humanities has been doing work in these areas and it is great to know more will be done. Thank you again.
— Janet May 12, 04:15 PM #