Re-purpose: Re:use

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Today we observed more of the area surrounding the university’s campus. We were first exposed to the fact that roads and building have changed over time as well as their purposes. The main example we were given was the WAFCO mill complex. This was a former flour mill that was later turned into condominium units, the area surrounding it was developed as well.


We observed many of the buildings in the area and discussed their meaning to the area as well as what they were in the past or what they might be in the future. One of the first things that we observed was that the rail road tracks weren’t along the back of a road like they had been in previous areas that we had observed. We discovered that railroad tracks are used to transport things and therefore that meant that anytime there is a railroad, there should be industry around it. This amplifies the point that back roads are used for things that don’t need to be seen on a regular basis.


As we walked on various streets surrounding the campus, I noticed that there were many different types of buildings in the area, there was a school that had been turned into a church, student housing, apartment complexes as well as industrial buildings. Things such as the school are historical to the area because it was named after a former president of UNCG when it was an all girl’s school.

Side streets & back Alleys

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As we continue to use the College Hill neighborhood as our stimulus, I am beginning to realize its significance in regards to the Greensboro area and specifically the UNCG campus. I am learning that it works simultaneously with the campus to add historical value and amplify the importance of the university to the area.‘Main’ streets tend to be home to strips, beats and fronts whereas ‘side’ streets have stacks, sinks and turfs. This is primarily because mains streets are easily viewed and therefore appearance is important. It makes the area seem more accessible and welcoming. Side streets serve a different type of purpose, they are used to access houses as well as place things that don’t need to be seen. We can compare this to UNCG’s campus where the steam stacks are placed at the back of the campus as well as the railroads, this is because they are for industrial purposes of campus and therefore they don’t need to be seen.
Another thing that I noticed about side streets and back alleys was that they had boundaries, pictured above is a fence which acts as a border between streets, road and possibly individual yards. Fencing is also used to segment people or things as well designate areas such as parking. Another aspect of boundaries that I noticed is the one way streets...these are used to keep traffic at a minimum on back streets being that they are so small. This means they cant get congested or used for the wrong reasons.




Observing the values of buildings at UNCG

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The Quad
Firstly we observed this area exactly as we did the previous areas and buildings, however specifically asking ourselves why? And what values are instilled within them. We looked at the landscape of the area and decided that their were eight buildigngs however it was called a quad because of the number of sides it has. It is a very enclosed area which means it has a privacy value incorporated into it, the landscape was evidently thouroughly thought out. For example, the trees have been purposefully placed on the adges of the building because of the value of the land and its purposes. This quad is specifically for upperclassman which makes it an exclusive area an gives it a supeririorty value against the other dorms on campus. It is also organized into the ‘quad’ shape.

Peabody park
This park has a lot of historic value because of the fact that many changes have been made over the years to this park in relation to the history of the building which teaches us a lot about the campus particularly showing off the fact that it was an all girls campus. It was originally left to the university as a place of nature to be held in symbyosis with the university. It was then decided that it should be put to use and the university decided to use it as a dairy farm for all the milk provided by the school, this gave the university independence in terms of prividing for students. We know that this park was originally a golf course made for the womeans golf team, this immediately tells us that the team was good.
Bryan business school
This building is one of the buildings that stand out from the rest in terms of the ways in which it organized, it is similar to a maze and very confusing to navigate and therefore finding things such as the center may be difficult. This could porssibly be due to the fact that the business is a popular and broad major and therefore more classrooms are needed. This building may have been placed here because it’s the most popular buildings therefore it was placed across from another popular building; The EUC. There is also administrative buildings around it such as the registrar’s building which suggests that this is the area of ‘business’ like buildings which gives it a value of convenience especially because it’s one of the first buildings that you notice when you turn off of Spring Garden street.

Important centers at UNCG

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Elliot university center
There are a lot of aspects of the EUC that make it a center and there are many clues on the outside that tell us about the inside. The things that make the EUC center would be the fact that its where many events are held and main meeting places held. It holds orientation, the library, food court, information etc. It can be described as a ‘show-off’ building to the university. I think this because of the fact that the university re-vamps it every ten years. It is the first opportunity for people to understand the campus which is why the university try’s its best to keep it of a high standard. There are two crucial points within this specific center. They would be the stair case and the main front entrance. The shape and symmetry of the building shows that this is an important building and that it is visited frequently. The staircase acts as a directory to the building because it branches out to all sections. The symmetry of the building shows that it is important to the university, it also suggests that its a formal place. The hall is a circulation and information space. The university itself suggests that this is important and that the designer had a purpose. The two centers within the building are marked by circles on the floor as well as the ceilings the lighting in these areas are also more prevalent.


Jackson library
For this part of class we were asked where we thought the center of the library was. We all stood in different parts of the library which showed us that there was more than one center within the library. The first was the most obvious; the actual center where the building was at its highest point and where the lighting was . One that wasn’t particularly obvious was the front porch with the temple embedded in the front. The library is also connected to The EUC, this suggests that they are incoherent with each other and therefore the university decided to connect them. It also makes it easier for students to access two of the most important centers quickly and easily. This shows people, particularly perspective students that the main objective of the university is convenience.

The CAF
The CAF is very important center because its where everyone eats and it’s a gathering for students where they can relax in between or after classes. The CAF stands out from the other buildings because it is not symmetrical and somewhat like a maze just like the Bryan school of business. This lack of symmetry makes it more available to students because they can enter from any side; which ever is convenient at that moment. The CAF also attracts social events because of the fountain in front of it, the fountain is also an important place on campus and because it is situated in front of the CAF, it brings people there and therefore it makes the CAF important. The CAF also holds the mailboxes which connects student to their loved ones as well as sorority information which is in connection with extra curricular activities.

My osbervations of UNCG

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Centers, beats, strips,turfs,sinks and stacks are the things that we have observed within the universities campus. Diagrammed above is my interpretations of each of these. The university is evidently surrounded by many strips in which people are accustomed to. On thing that particularly stood out to me was the fact that all of these aspects have changed over time. I know this because of things such as the infrastructures of the buildings as well as the surrounding land. The inhabitants of the area also determine what category an area falls into. For example, the more buildings and activity in an area will determine how big the beat it. Things such as turfs and sinks have changed overtime because of development of new land etc. For example, the golf course used to run all the way down the left side of campus however now this has been replaced with recreational areas. This also creates more districts in this ‘mini city’.

Buildings at UNCG

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Our next task was to observe buildings and relate them back to clays definitions.
Steam building (sink)
This building is a building in which people would not like to see however it is essential in the running and maintenance of the university. This would be defined as a sink. It also lies on the edge of the campus, surrounding it are other essential processes such as the water tower as well as the railway trail which would have been used for coal in the past. This tells us something about the history of the building and evidently that it is old.



The Mary Foust building (Center)
This building was the first building that we ever observed, we decided that this may be an example of a center because it was where important events had taken place. It is evident that this is an old building because of its a-typical infrastructure.




Minerva
This statue is one of the most important aspects of the campus because it tells a specific story about the history of the university. Minerva, which stands for ‘goddess of wisdom’


Clock Tower
Although this particular clock tower has only been around for about four years , it plays a big role in this ‘mini-city’ It is a memorial tower and therefore in the future it may become a historical monument for the university to dwell upon later on like things such as the Minerva. Using Clays definition of what a stack is, this clock tower would qualify as one. Clock towers are essential to a campus and many campuses have them. They signify when to come and go and they give the campus order. Subsequently, you could say that time and memory ‘stack’ up on this corner. This may not seem important but it is essential in amplifying the values of the school.






Brown Building
This building stands out because it is one of the few buildings whose frontal view is on the edge of campus. It also looks fairly new which tells us that it was recently restored, probably within the last two years. The newer infrastructure such as the brick and the archways resemble the newer buildings on campus. The composers names surrounding the outside of the building shows us that this use to be some type of musical building in the past, the buildings around it also hold various theatre shows which shows us that there is a common theme shared between the buildings in this area. This building sits up high and sits apart from the landscape which means it was built to stand out from the others, the buildings surrounding it are also low scale which means it stands out even more. The building also lies on Tate Street which is home to many beats. This could enhance the theatrical nature of the area to keep it upbeat and alive.
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