PANDArchitecture

My surroundings have changed a lot this year. They are different from anything that I have ever experienced before in my life. I was used to the same type of routine and structure to my days all the way up through senior year in high school. This year, however, has been a lot different. I don’t have to go to class nearly as early, the school day is spread out, and not every day is the same thing. It’s great! However, this different clockwork of cyclical repetition takes some time to get used to. It actually takes about a month before you realize that everything does have a pattern and cycle to it. As I go about my daily routine, I notice that I am part of a larger network or people who are all doing the same thing as I am: going to class, going home, going to work, or possibly going to study. We are related and interconnected in a framework that is established by the layout of the campus itself. It controls how we flow and move from one place to another. The buildings also work in a similar way. They help to direct this massive flow of traffic and keep it as orderly and functional as possible. They create a framework that helps us as college students be able to receive an education while making navigation of the campus as easy and effortless as possible. At the University of Minnesota I have experienced a conflict with the climate that I have not had to deal with as much as this before. There are certain areas of the campus that do not help to deal with this issue. One major example is the wind tunnel that is created under Boynton Hospital. It produces very strong winds that make the cold even worse, as if -10 degrees isn’t bad enough. However, there are measures at Minnesota that deal with the issue of climate. The best example is the tunnel system. It helps to provide a method of walking from major parts of the campus without having to experience the harsh conditions of the weather. Within this large framework of organization there are specific things that help to make the university experience better. There are monuments, beautiful carvings, landmark buildings and structures, and controlled elements of nature such as trees and flowers. There are also more functional things around the campus like stairs, directional signs, and even strategically placed maps. There also things like giant columns and buildings, large grassy knolls, and bike racks everywhere. These things all make this place feel more like a university. All of the things mentioned mixed with the framework that is created by the layout of the campus, and the clockwork that is established by the flow, network, and schedule of the people all work together to create the phenomena that is “college�. There is a certain feeling that is felt when on a campus of any large university that can only characterized as phenomenon. To observe how this machine known as a “university� works is something spectacular. It may not seem to be that great to us as students, since we are a member of this function, but sometimes one has to remove themselves from the phenomenon in order to appreciate it for what it really is. When gazed upon from the view of an outside observer, the function of a university it truly a phenomenon. Who cares though anyway? We’re just here to get done what we need to get done and then leave to the next thing. This is what it seems like people feel about college for the most part. I say we all need to step back for a moment and just enjoy what we are a part of. College has had a great affect on my life, and I am enjoying the positive experience so far. We’ll see if I’m still so optimistic when it comes time for architectural studio.