How UNCG Uses Design Techniques (Blog Post Three)

Walking around the campus of UNCG one can see many uses of architectural techniques and how used properly, can give off a true sense collectively of having space, power, experience, principles, precedent, site, order, scale, technology, and surface.

I feel space is best defined as an area that is open. It has a sense of allowing many to join and gather as a collective group. I see an area like this is best found in front of the EUC building and the Dinning Hall. Both of these locations are right outside of  major hub areas for the campus. Most all of the campus restaurants and shopping areas are located within these buildings.

The open areas in front of these buildings use space to allow for a very similar use in how early cultures used outdoor market spaces and town squares.

Power is an idea that I think is best created when it is shown through something to have strength and and an advantage over the rest. To have a strong sense of control and wisdom. This is best shown through the use of the Minerva statue outside of the EUC.

Just like the Greeks and the Romans used statues to pay tribute to their gods and goddesses for protection. UNCG uses the statue to say, we have the power and wisdom of Minerva. We use her powers through this campus to promote you to be the best student possible.

Experience is having many years of work to show for all the trails and tribulations of life,  letting all on comers know that you have weathered many things to get to this point, and you conquered them all. Experience and prestige are best shown with the Foust Building. It is one of the oldest buildings on campus. It has many aesthetically pleasing elements, such as the "towers" that give it a very castle like appearance and is personally the most attractive building on campus.

When you have a set standard on what you accept and tolerate, you are considered in society to have principles. UNCG has a strong sense in providing the best education possible for it's students, and stands by those principles. The building that I feel the best show this through is Jackson Library.

This is by far the tallest building on campus. I feel by it's true size, and the inside consisting of books and knowledge, it is UNCG showing that they care for the addition of knowledge and resources to their students needs.

Precedent isn't quite the easiest word for me to define. In my best belief and understanding precedent is to pay homage to things that came before. To let a former thing stand as a standard or guide. The building best showing this is the Alumni House. It is a true tribute to all the former graduates and the things they paid to make themselves UNCG graduates.

 The site and location of UNCG is pretty confined and limited just due to the fact that UNCG is centered now, right in the middle of Greensboro. As many know, UNCG has become some what of a controversial place to many of the neighboring areas due to it's future expansion ideas.

 I feel that UNCG best displays order on it's campus, by the way the buildings are used to house certain departments. It keeps most students and their classes together. It creates an environment of closeness among common majors and the students that are in them.

UNCG has created a very functional world within it's campus where it can function on a very similar way the city of Greensboro functions. Their are dorm buildings, which are like neighborhoods, restaurants, shops, and outdoor gathering areas. It is more or less, a small scale functioning city.

Technology is a very important principal to UNCG. From the state of the art computer labs, to the internet based blackboard systems that we use for classes, technology can be found everywhere. The Gatewood building and the New Science building are both new advanced buildings.

Surface can best be seen I believe with the Eberhart Building. The multi-levels that come out of the buildings gives it a very unique look and creates many different surfaces on the side of the building. It also gives it a very grand and almost ultra urban modern look.

All of these elements collectively gives UNCG a very unique and wide range of building techniques and styles. These elements are greatly needed when one wants to create a unique and lasting building, no matter what period of time, or culture, or even society that we live. All of these design princples help give it a widely diverse and extremly beautiful campus overall.

All photos from www.uncg.edu