Architecture is an art and a science. So it is fitting that Architecture and Art at Prairie View A&M University find themselves together in a new facility that is the talk of the campus.Faculty, students, staff, and visitors have offered their opinion regarding this state-of-the-art facility and its provocative and aesthetically challenging design. Comments have ranged from the good, the bad, to the ugly.
Some have even asked, “What is it? Is it supposed to be a spacecraft? Is it Noah’s Ark? Others have said, it looks “weird.” Then, there are those who have voiced their delight in the building’s eclectic, non-traditional appearance.
Students in my Arts 1203 Introduction to Visual Arts classes expressed mixed opinions about the building. They have said it is unique, complex, abstract, innovative, and unstable. As you can see, opinions are diverse.
However, after my students studied and analyzed the modernist style, the naturalistic style incorporated by Frank Lloyd Wright, and the deconstructive postmodernist approach, which allows for a greater degree of creative and artistic freedom, the students understood better the formal aspects of the building’s design and what constitute its uniqueness.
Although odd to some and visually imposing to others, the building’s uniqueness does set it apart from other structures on campus; for the School of Architecture to be headquartered in anything less would be an insult to the discipline.
The building designer is noted architect Michael Rotondi who, in conjunction with a Dallas based architectural firm, saw the project to its completion.
The three story building has many wonderful features both inside and out. In the building’s interior, you will be impressed with its spacious open atmosphere. Upon entry you are immediately caught up in the sights and sounds of the building. Designed with a “canyon motif” in mind, the building’s openness draw visitors into the cavernous areas of offices, studios, and classrooms. Standing on one floor and calling out to a student or colleague on another floor is nothing short of a Grand Canyon experience.
Another attractive interior feature is the rollercoaster-like stairs which crisscross through the space. Looking up from the main floor, the stairs look like a special attraction ride at an amusement park. They ascend to meet the sun as it rises on the east end of the building and bids it farewell as it sets on the west end. One of my favorite things about the building’s interior is how the stairs appear to reach endlessly into space touching the heavens. The continuous narrowing ascent is by no means meant for the faint of heart; thus, the elevator is recommended.
On the exterior, the most significant and awe-striking aspect of the building is its brick work. Countless numbers of bricks are skillfully placed: turning, rounding, curving, and twisting into a beautiful mass.
The undulating flow of the brick work is by all means an eye-catcher. Driving, walking, or running by, the building can be a pleasant distraction. Notable on the front facade is the rhythmic or wave-like appearance of the brick wall. Designed as a whole, from an angle they appear as overlapping planes. They are also reminiscent of dominoes positioned upright, then given a gentle nudge, sending them plummeting forward. This slight shift creates the unconventional windows which spiral upward allowing light to enter the structure.
Another feature, as Rotondi calls it, is the “big sun shade” which screens the main porch of the building. The screen runs the length of the design studios and offices on the north, and silently beckons its inhabitants to come out and playfully enjoy the porch area. Its huge angular, yet light, structure is supported by numerous posts and beams systematically aligned. Strolling underneath this exoskeletal structure, one sees in perspective a series of fairly concentric triangles which appear to continue into infinity. Strategically located, sun shades also screen portions of the east and west ends of the building. The “big sun shade” on the north, however, is the first major feature seen by those arriving on the university campus.
To conclude, there is much more that this new Architecture and Art Building has to offer. Come by and meet the faculty, students, and staff, and enjoy this architectural marvel for yourself. It is a building the University, the state, and the nation can all be proud of; Michael Rotondi is. He gleefully stated, “If there is any project I am remembered for; I hope it is this one.