Week Twelve featured a tour of the Education building and what should have been a student-led tour that devolved into a casual stroll through the Krannert Art Museum. It was still a blast, though, as Architecture 199 with on Professor Hinders always is, as we departed once more on our incredible architectural journey.
The Education Building is an interesting building, and I feel that this tour allowed me to gain a greater appreciation for it or to see it in a light that I hadn't previously considered. Simply from the outside, its shape and the angle from which you view it create illusions that obscure its true size and depth. For instance, if one were to exit the architecture building through the south door, the major axis and the minor axis of the building would appear to be similar in length. Subtle details like this are things I would never have picked up on before taking this class. If we were to "simply" look at its appearance and size, we would notice that the exterior mirrors that of the undergraduate library. Though the UGL may not rise very far above the ground, the styles of the two buildings are clearly similar. Perhaps the most interesting tid bit I learned about the education building and the surrounding trees is that it was meant to "float" in a forest that spanned UIUC's campus, with the roof lying amongst the canopy. I recently saw a YouTube video featuring various aerial views of campus, and it was awesome to see that idea at play.
Leading up to the north entrance of the education building, the attention to detail even in the choice of material for the pathway was visible. Much like with the Erlanger House, there was continuity from the outside to the inside with a large glass face the only barrier between the outside and the inside. As we progressed inward, we traversed the two long hallways that span either side of the building. The hallways are lined with ribbed surfaces to influence the acoustics of the hallway and absorb the sound, giving each corridor a very confined feeling.
As we progressed to the second floor, the building began to take on a more open design, at least in my opinion. Located in the center of the second floor are open study/meeting areas, with rows of windows where the walls meet the ceiling to allow for light to flow into these areas. It seemed much more welcoming to me as a student, which probably makes sense, but I much preferred it to the first floor. The faculty offices line the perimeter of the second floor, with windows that open up to a balcony, which forms another layer around the top of the Education Building. It was nice to see the campus from near level with the canopy, and I also thought it was quite neat that the faculty could stroll on out for a breath of fresh air.
One of the most remarkable things about the building was the beautiful garden just outside the east exit. The consideration and planning that went into the garden were rather evident. It wasn't disjointed from the building and tacked on as an afterthought. It was an integral part to the building, and something that I had never truly noticed before. Through this class, I had seen the campus in a light that I otherwise would not have.
After some moseying around and some indecisiveness, we decided to head over to the Krannert Art Museum. We got to see the mighty works of Lorado Taft and debated the genders of various humans in various paintings before being escorted from the premises for being too cool for school. After leaving and returning through the correct entrance, we got to mess around in the modern art exhibit for a bit. All in all, it was pretty good. 10/10, would visit again.
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