ACUHO-I News Blog

Thanks to this economic slump (to put it mildly), construction of new buildings has slowed, after nearly stopping for a period. Thus, we haven’t had much about construction on here in a while. But we will surely build again, so it’s a good time to think about the topic in the abstract.

Here’s an essay considering if it’s absolutely essential to have all the buildings on a campus match each other. This is a long-running debate. There’s problems with doggedly following a single style and equal issues with allowing a sort of architectural anarchy to take over. The happy medium, however, is difficult to achieve, especially when time, money, expertise and hindsight are limited.

What’s your campus policy on architecture? Did anyone from housing have input on it? How has this impacted your buildings?

Okay. Part of this post is due to the fact that we didn’t want to be the only blog in the blogisphere to NOT have a post about the iPad. But it also came to mind as I was reading this post in the all-things-tech blog Gizmodo. In the story (as well as this one here) the authors discuss what constitutes “good” design and whether or not the iPad conforms to those rules.

The writers go back to the principles of designer Dieter Rams — who is famous for his Braun product designs of the 1950s and ’60s — who had 10 rules for good design. According to Rams:

• Good design is innovative.
• Good design makes a product useful.
• Good design is aesthetic.
• Good design helps us to understand a product.
• Good design is unobtrusive.
• Good design is honest.
• Good design is durable.
• Good design is consequent to the last detail.
• Good design is concerned with the environment.
• Good design is as little design as possible.

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Editor’s Note: Spotlight is a recurring feature in this blog as well as Talking Stick magazine that focuses on newly-opened residence halls. Whether it is through design, construction, programs, or features, we look to put the spotlight on those deserving halls. To submit a hall from your campus, e-mail talkingstick@acuho-i.org.

Campus: Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, Massachusetts)
Name: East Hall
Opened: July 2008
Cost: $33 million (construction)
Architect: Cannon Design

When Worcester Polytechnic Institute set out to create East Hall, it was with the goal of attracting upperclass students to stay on campus. When completed, it certainly did that with 232 beds in a mix of single- and double-room suites and studio apartments. Students appreciated the building’s amenities and services such as laundry facilities, waste removal and recycling, a fitness room, academic study space, music practice rooms, a game room, and a parking garage. But the LEED Gold-certified building also made a strong statement to the campus’ sustainability commitment.

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