esl comparison of two Penn State university campus spaces essay
Running head; COMPARISON
Yuechun Yang
Shuyuan Liu
ESL15-SEC18
Feb. 20. 2019
COMPARISON 2
Do buildings in Campuses communicate a message?
Buildings in an institution can be used to communicate a particular message to its
students, staff, and visitors. Penn State University landmarks are comprised of buildings, land
areas and other objects that symbolize its history and architectural heritage. There are various
ways in which a building in a University communicates a message by the design in which they
are building. For example, the Penn State University Pattee Library facilitates learning for the
students while the Hub center provides students with opportunities in social responsibility,
learning, volunteerism, leadership and student employment. Pattee Library and the Hub have
different histories, functions, and architectural styles that show its differences in the world of
academics and that of community life.
Penn State University Library was located at the Old Main building. It originally
consisted of 1500 books for sciences and agriculture. The Library was then moved to Carnegie
Building that provided 50,000 book capacities. The library collection had further grown by the
year 1904 to 150,000, which was then permanently moved to Pattee Library Building. Pattee
Library was then renovated in the year 1990s and in 2000. The library currently consists of more
than 5.4 Million Volumes, which depicts the growth of the institution over time, and its history
as well because of naming it after renowned people in history. Pattee Library was named after
Fred Lewis Pattee who was the first professor of American literature studies. Pattee Library was
constructed by the renowned architect Charles Z. Klauder. It was founded before the Hub which
portrays how Penn State University puts academics first in a student’s life. In contrast, Penn
State University set up a cultural center in the year 1972. Before the year the Black cultural
center used to be center where African American students practiced their cultural heritage. The
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black cultural center was supported by Penn State University to minimize cultural shock that
affected the black students.
The Pattee library has expanded 3 times, which involved the construction of the Stacks,
West Pattee, and East Pattee in the year 1973 while the Hub center did not involve lots of
expansions. The expansion included the Paterno Library. The expansion of Pattee and Paterno
Library helps ensure that services meet the changing environment of teaching, learning, and
research for the students. Expansion of this library means the students will be in a position to
advance their group studies, improve movements in the libraries and create a state of art that is
essential for teaching research and learning. Plenty of entrances within the University library
facilitate movement of students in and out of the library for minimal disturbance. On the other
hand, the renovation of the Hub took place in the year 1999. Robeson Centre was moved to a
new building and partnered with Hub-Robeson Centre Complex. The cultural center emphasized
the diversity in historic, current and the future of African American culture. It also increased the
diversity of students in their cultures thus minimizing racism. Renovation of the Hub-Robeson
building is a reimage of a core area in the University. It also depicts an evolution of the role of
the campus center for the students outside their classroom.
A library in an institution has historically been seen as a Universities repository of
knowledge and always a gateway to human knowledge. The idea of a library as a source of
knowledge in an institution places itself in a position as an asset, thus affecting its architectural
style of construction. Library spaces were designed for fluidity, versatility, convertibility,
scalability, and modifiability. Designing the libraries in this manner provides a dynamic space
that serves the next generations. The Library portrays a learner-centered space: it consists of
windows where students can view outside, natural daylight, robust internet network’s that
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facilitates sharing of media, smooth and flat floor for efficient arrangement of furniture. It also
has adjustable lighting that facilitates group discussions, video recording and video presentation.
The Library has plenty of entries that are connected to other buildings thus making it
accommodate the crowds. Connecting the library with other building enables students to meet
informally such as the Hub. The stairwell and a two-story enclosed atrium that is connected to
the ground floor and an expanded elevator necessitates pedestrian flow in the building. The grass
lawns and trees provide a cooling effect for students to study. On the other hand, The Hub-
Robeson Atrium acts as a focal point with a 5400 sq.ft of the skylight. Students designed ways in
which the Hub could be instrumental in their success and future roles as leaders. The undulating
glass and steel canopy provides the complex with an energized and existing profile which
beckons a student to enter and get involved in those activities taking place at the center. The
design was inspired by the campus context. Also, its network of pathways facilitates movement
to the building. Its space in an urban nexus portrays the importance of the building in student,
academic and campus life. The design grows from the main square and a gathering under the
glazed roof that is open daily for students, to break the monotony of class work. There exists a
variety of objects that depict the importance of diversity in the institution. The Hub is also near a
series of zones that are connected in a logical manner to enhance flow in the building. The high-
performance glazing systems for the skylights and the windows provide affluent performance
that reduces solar gain, making students enjoy a subtle environment, and to add to the aesthetic
view. The design portrays to the University how the Hub plays an important role in student
success in the future. What’s more, equipped with plenty of food stores, bookstores, banks, and
other facilities, Hub offers a great opportunity for students to rest and involve in activities out of
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curriculum. Students are able to engage in clubs, blood donations, music shows, which diversify
their lives.
Comparison of the two building depicts how Penn State University values academics and
cultural diversity. Their architectural designs, function and histories portray the uniqueness of the
two buildings’ importance to the school.
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References
Gund Partnership. (2018). Hetzel Union Building (HUB)/Robeson Center. Retrieved
from https://www.architectmagazine.com/project-gallery/hetzel-union-building-hub-robeson-
center
Paul Robeson Cultural Center. (2015). Paul Robeson Cultural Center - History. Retrieved
from https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/cultural/prcc-history
Library News. (2019). Penn Sate University Libraries. Retrieved from
https://libraries.psu.edu/libraries2020/atrium
Penn State University Libraries. (2019). General Information. Retrieved from
https://libraries.psu.edu/about/general-information/history