It's not set in stone
The new addition is not “set in stone”, although as many of you pointed out to me in the interviews, it is very apparently “set in foam board”: rendered in physical form in the lobby model case (recently relocated to the entry vestibule), complete with window panes and shading structures.
So, as Jerry Seinfeld might say, “what’s the deal with that?”. There is an assumption that the addition has already been planned and designed to be a 3-story structure situated at an angle projecting from the north end of the existing building - as indicated in the model.
Here's the scoop: The model was commissioned when the university had anticipated using the same architect who designed the original building also to design the building addition. The model provided a way to sell the idea of the expansion in order to raise money and support.
At some point, the architect selection process was opened up to three architectural firms who would compete for the design of the addition. As am I writing this, the three competing architectural teams are at their respective “drawing boards” fleshing out attempts to answer notions of how it should look, be sited, and attach to the existing building.
The architect who designed the original building (and the lobby model) is one of these three competing teams. However, even this architect’s design, if selected, is not likely to resemble the lobby model exactly because the addition on the model crosses a small parcel of land, an easement, owned by a utility company (look for the overhead wires/cables at the north end of the building; this marks the bounds of the easement).
I thought it was important to convey the story of the lobby model for a few reasons… so you are not surprised and confused should the final product look nothing like you expected, and also to assure you that your input does count – it is not set in stone.
posted by Meredith Banasiak, ANFA @ 10:25 AM
1 Comments:
Great blog entry Meredith. Pretty much sums up where we are. I'd really stress, that the purpose of the model was, as is often the case, primarily to be used as a fund-raising tool. Donors come in, look at a physical model and get very excited about the notion of their name being attached to a new building.
Thanks Meredith,
Jim
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