December 26, 200618 yr My first impression is that there will be another cold shoulder to the corner of E. 21st & Euclid. The entrance shouldn't be set back in the middle of the block. I could be reading it wrong, but that's what I'm seeing.
December 26, 200618 yr As preliminary as those are, it looks as though Gwathmey will disappoint once again. What the hell is that pyramid in the center? Take a look at U Cincinnatti's student center by Thom Mayne and see what we're missing out on. I completely agree - I got into a huge discussion with them about it. I asked them, "What's the point?" Why have something on the roof like that if only the people directly underneath it are going to benefit - and maybe some people in the tower. But our meeting was directed toward programming, not style. At least the University Architect agreed with me. My first impression is that there will be another cold shoulder to the corner of E. 21st & Euclid. The entrance shouldn't be set back in the middle of the block. I could be reading it wrong, but that's what I'm seeing. I also agree, except, this building will have lots of glass (not like Urban and Business), so it will appear more inviting.
December 26, 200618 yr Ok, but no entrance? I know, we're a lot way from anything, but I'm just voicing concerns.
December 27, 200618 yr This thing should be put in the heart of CSU, right at E14th and Euclid. Expose the emreging technogoly.
December 27, 200618 yr Last post was refering to the vertical windmill, but the student center building by Gwathmey is just simply uninspiered. Get an architect who is looking to the future instead of trying to create some neo-classical/modern statement. I just had a very in-depth conversation with a musician who related music to architecture and said, "why would I try to make music to sound like it was done 50 years ago? The reason people think James Brown and Thelonios Monk are still relavent today is because it was ground-breaking at one time and we can appriciate that. There is no reason to copy it and try to reinvent it, because if they do, it's all bullshit in a way. Create your own ideas." This is so relavent in architecture, and it's just a shame that CSU doesn't realize that we don't have to copy off of the Akron Public Library to make a statement. Be inventive for once CSU.
December 27, 200618 yr My first impression is that there will be another cold shoulder to the corner of E. 21st & Euclid. The entrance shouldn't be set back in the middle of the block. I could be reading it wrong, but that's what I'm seeing. I also agree, except, this building will have lots of glass (not like Urban and Business), so it will appear more inviting. careful, lots of glass dont mean good. dont let csu make this mistake, it's the 2002 redo of the bgsu student union :whip:
December 27, 200618 yr w28th: (1) The word this week on a possible location is on top of the CAMP Building. This building is on East 24th and Payne, right next to the Innerbelt. Stay tuned. w28th: (2) Because of the State's bidding process we are stuck with GS, but I do believe the president will get the best possible out of them. He does not want a building that will likely bear his name one day. And he has said on many occasion he wants no brick or concrete barriers, or something to that effect, on campus mrnyc & mgd: Not sure if you ever saw the Perkins & Wills planning study for the Student Center, but they had a rendering GS is basing there version on. Notice the huge glass wall on the Euclid/21st Street corner. This seems to be reflective of there drawing. And I do not think you can compare the BGSU setting to ours (unless I am not picturing the correct location of their student union), they are not in the same type of urban setting as ours.
January 24, 200718 yr Musky, What happened with the law school presentation at the city planning meeting last week? Any word on when construction would begin?
January 29, 200718 yr This was in Sunday's PD -- surprised no one posted: ARCHITECTURE New entry will help lighten up CSU law school campus By Steven Litt Sunday, January 28, 2007 EDIT: Article removed, no link, can't find on cleveland.com
January 29, 200718 yr Litt was feeling it when he wrote that one! I'm very happy about this and that it will start this Spring and be complete around the opening of the ECTP. I can only hope that this sort of intervention will be the kick in the pants that the Levin College needs to do something with its useless grassy knoll! Musky or anyone else have up-to-date images of the project?
January 29, 200718 yr Thanks for your patience wimwar. The semester has just started and it already feels like week 13. Anyway, the Planning Commission passed the Law Building renovation which will consist of the addition of 4 new classrooms, moving of the innerlink, adding windows to Moot court and updating the Law Clinic. The Commission had some concerns with how the landscape will fit with the rest of the campus plan, particularly for the Euclid Avenue Ribbon. Construction should start in March - no later then April. Most of the hardcore stuff being done in the summer, of course. This pass Sunday's PD had a surprisingly positive critique by Litt New entry will help lighten up CSU law school campus Sunday, January 28, 2007 EDIT: Already Posted
January 29, 200718 yr Musky, Thanks for the update. Great to hear that they will start soon. Will the student center demo start this summer? How will the interlink be moved in the law building?
January 29, 200718 yr Yes I do - a bunch. Just not with me. I will post first thing tomorrow morning when I am back at work after I convert them from PDFs
January 30, 200718 yr That's going to do wonders for that corner. I'm very pleased! You'll notice that big men in grey suits who like to walk fast will be drawn to the area.
January 30, 200718 yr And groups of tacky guys with beer guts who wear polo shirts. I like the entrance in and of itself, but it is unfortunate that it looks so "tacked on" instead of integrating a bit better with the existing structure.
January 30, 200718 yr They thought it better to make the existing structure integrate with the new one.
January 30, 200718 yr What a difference. It will bring significant life to a now morbid corner. Imagine having a class or a seminar in the second or third floor rooms which are floor to ceiling glass and almost on top of Euclid (at least as depicted). At night it should really be something and again the activity will give real life to Euclid as people pass by on foot, in cars or on buses. This would be my vision for the student center as well. A multi level glass box almost touching Euclid.
January 30, 200718 yr I just realized that I can see the entire facade from my office window. Cool. This is the building at CSU that amazes me the most. C'mon, a 3 story brick wall that faces Euclid?? What were they thinking??
February 8, 200718 yr Project Status Report: January/February (Bond Funded) Main Classroom Stair Tower Phase 1A Project No. LF-0411 • Current Status Notes o Concrete shaft walls for stair and elevator tower is complete to plaza level. o Precast 80% complete o Glass rescheduled to begin this month. o Building close-in by February 2007. Main Classroom Plaza Build-out Phase 1B and C Project No. LF-0411 • Current Status Notes o Demolition of the Plaza Level 85% complete. o Masonry base wall is proceeding on the South Entrance. o Concrete floor poured to Stairwell “C.” Student Center Phase II Project No. LF-0401 • Current Status Notes o Schematic Design Underway Parker Hannafin Administration Center / Hall Project No. LF-0318 • Current Status Notes o Interior framing and drywall inside Parker Hannifin Hall and Administration Bldg. 90% complete. o Curtain wall framing and glass for Administration Bldg. 90% complete. o Parker Hannifin Annex metal panels are being installed. http://www.csuohio.edu/architect/status_reports/current.pdf
February 13, 200718 yr The following are 50% Schematic Design Drawings for the new Student Center. This will give you an general feeling of the direction the consultants are going with the design. The big bulge on the western portion will house a full bookstore on the first floor, residential dining on the second floor and a ballroom on the the third. On the eastern side will be a pub. If you are interested in floor plans, I can post them as well. Let me know.
February 13, 200718 yr Gwathmey... always clumsy, and always a disappointment. I'd like to see plans if you have them to see the relationship to Euclid Avenue. Right up to the sidewalk right? Hopefully they can at least get that right.
February 13, 200718 yr Well, it doesn't need to be right up to the sidewalk to make it work. There just has to be an environment in front of the building that encourages activity and use...unlike the existing building. I'd like to see at least part of it come up to the sidewalk, but I wouldn't mind a set-back with an interesting plaza in front at a key point. From the looks of this, it's going to look like a forced effort at something "unique," with little substantial architectural detail. Of course, this is just a massing concept, so I'm going to try to keep my panties sorted for now...
February 13, 200718 yr Yes, it does come up to Euclid. I will post the floor plans (also at 50%) the next time I am at work. I have to compress them first. Each sheet is at 3-5 mb.
February 13, 200718 yr Author can someone explain the purposes of a massing or schematic design? it sounds as if they are intended to show the shape necessary for a particular function, but are not predictive of the appearance of the final product. si or no?
February 13, 200718 yr Schematic design shows the first signs of where a concept is heading. Obviously this is not a final product, but it is very telling of what it will look like. Generally, realites like structural/mech/elec and other considerations aren't dealt with in this phase, there will be pushing and pulling ahead, but barring a massive shift in direction, that is close to what we'll have on the CSU campus.
February 13, 200718 yr ...and yes, the building looks terrible, typical Gwathmey. I can see the headlines 45 years from now, "plans to renovate neo-Modernist Charles Gwathmey's uninspired CSU Student Center considered..."
February 14, 200718 yr Are you kidding me? I liked the concept design much much better than this one.
February 14, 200718 yr To a certain extant. I'm referring to the big bulge on the western portion if you thought I was referring to you, I wasn't. It is a rhetorical 'are you kidding me'.
February 14, 200718 yr Thank you for the clarification. With your new user name its easy to misinterpret the response.
February 15, 200718 yr Is that a big bulge in your student center, or are you happy to see me. Anyway, the following are the plans, as promised. You know the deal.... Scroll>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
February 15, 200718 yr If I were the designer I would try to: pull the building up to Euclid eliminate the side yard and reorient those terraces and windows towards Euclid put public uses such as the bookstore, retail dining, and convenience store on the first floor and give them street entrances place the lounge, bar, ballroom, game area and maybe some other active spaces on the upper floors of the Euclid facade with access to the aformentioned terraces possibly reorient the internal layout into something like an arcade connecting Euclid with the plaza behind the Student Center eliminate that goofy-ass bulge
February 15, 200718 yr If I were the designer I would try to: pull the building up to Euclid eliminate the side yard and reorient those terraces and windows towards Euclid put public uses such as the bookstore, retail dining, and convenience store on the first floor and give them street entrances place the lounge, bar, ballroom, game area and maybe some other active spaces on the upper floors of the Euclid facade with access to the aformentioned terraces possibly reorient the internal layout into something like an arcade connecting Euclid with the plaza behind the Student Center eliminate that goofy-ass bulge I know the drawings don't show it, but: 1 - it will be closer to Euclid then the current building, while respecting the "Green Ribbon" feature already in the master plan 2 - not sure what you are referring to here, the windows will be oriented toward Eucild. not directly south facing, more like s - sw. I might have a better image showing this 3 - bookstore will be on first floor, retail dining and store are on second floor because that is where the innerlink is located = most foot traffic 4 - during the planning study, students and alumni said they wanted the bar/pub to not be in the basement (obviously) and have street access (since this will likely have extended hours) 5 - probably not going to happen
February 15, 200718 yr Public uses (bookstore, cafe, etc) should absolutely be fronting Euclid. Instead there is some empty lobby area that will offer nothing to the visuals on the street. It's simple responses to the urban condition that Gwathmey has never understood. This configuration is very similiar to the Akron Public Library, and that too is a disappointing structure. The street is the most interesting part of the city, and another CSU structure ignores it. Another missed opportunity.
February 15, 200718 yr If I were the designer I would try to: pull the building up to Euclid eliminate the side yard and reorient those terraces and windows towards Euclid put public uses such as the bookstore, retail dining, and convenience store on the first floor and give them street entrances place the lounge, bar, ballroom, game area and maybe some other active spaces on the upper floors of the Euclid facade with access to the aformentioned terraces possibly reorient the internal layout into something like an arcade connecting Euclid with the plaza behind the Student Center eliminate that goofy-ass bulge I know the drawings don't show it, but: 1 - it will be closer to Euclid then the current building, while respecting the "Green Ribbon" feature already in the master plan 2 - not sure what you are referring to here, the windows will be oriented toward Eucild. not directly south facing, more like s - sw. I might have a better image showing this 3 - bookstore will be on first floor, retail dining and store are on second floor because that is where the innerlink is located = most foot traffic 4 - during the planning study, students and alumni said they wanted the bar/pub to not be in the basement (obviously) and have street access (since this will likely have extended hours) 5 - probably not going to happen 1. ah yes, forgot about he green ribbon, but I'd still pull the building up to the edge of the green ribbon to give definition to that space 2. it looks from the floorplans like the emphasis on that side of the building is on the side plaza/yard/whatever it is going to be, but if I'm wrong, then I'm wrong 3. does the bookstore come up to Euclid? It looks like it is set back behind an atrium. I understand the inner link system and its value in inclement weather, but I think it would be a shame to orient the active uses of the student center around that system, instead of around Euclid. 4. that would be fine, too 5. I never expect anyone to listen to me!
February 15, 200718 yr Public uses (bookstore, cafe, etc) should absolutely be fronting Euclid. Instead there is some empty lobby area that will offer nothing to the visuals on the street. It's simple responses to the urban condition that Gwathmey has never understood. This configuration is very similiar to the Akron Public Library, and that too is a disappointing structure. The street is the most interesting part of the city, and another CSU structure ignores it. Another missed opportunity. That is not a lobby, that is part of the bookstore. The bookstore is multi level. The bookstore and the pub both have Euclid entrances. Will there be any public input for this project? Only from members of the CSU community and ultimately the Planning Commission
February 15, 200718 yr does that include alums? Yes - part of the community. However, I think they had most of there input portion of this project during the actual planning phase which lasted about a year. I would think that the university architect would welcome any input.
February 16, 200718 yr Looks like the Student Center is going to be a wasted opportunity (hate many aspects including the bulge).
February 17, 200718 yr Htsguy, gavster: Your comments are based on what, a line drawing that is only at the 50% design level? A drawing that shows no materials used? How can you hate it. Are you a current, or past, user of the building? If you were here in the past, then you (as was everyone else who ever went to school here) were invited two years ago to take part in the planning studies. Were you there? I guess I shouldn't be upset with anyone who is critical of the plan. If I did not want to here the complaints, I could just NOT provide them for everyone. Or, if my fellow UOers provide real input, I could pass this on to the consultants. They would love to here it - they already took one of my suggestions seriously: the stupid skylight pyramid from the first set of schematics I posted a month or so ago has been replaced. It's up to you.
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