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