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WHAT'S UP IN NEW DEVELOPMENT
What Might Be and What Is: Public architec
ture is a primary way we represent ourselves
as a community. In earlier eras, public build
ings were grand and classical affairs that
either symbolized the power of a leader, or the
importance of the civic life and democratic
ideals. Most recently, flashy starchitecture and
the Bilbao effect have reigned, with Gehry-
and Calatrava-designed museums, libraries
and monuments used by cities to illustrate
that they are progressive and forward thinking
hubs of the creative economy.
I've lamented the "brick and tan" archi
tecture of inoffensiveness before, most often
built by local public entities who would rather
not upset the taxpayers with any money
wasted on "design," and it seems like that
approach may finally be reaching its point of
absurdity. It's one thing to go cheap on a fire
hall or an elementary school, but what do we
do if the building's most valuable asset is its
message about the community?
Two recent twists in the evolution of our
own local civic architecture that illustrate this
have caught my eye, and they are worth ana
lyzing. What do the buildings we're building
now say about us as a community, and more
importantly, how does the audience for that
message factor into their designs? I've had
the opportunity to dispatch to you my first
impressions of other communities around the
country, but what is our community's first
impression on a visitor?
Watering Down History: In the first case, we
have visiting parents bringing their young
prodigies for a tour of campus. Will these .
future scholars see a well-kept and stately
academical village, or a cartoonish abstrac
tion of one? UGA President Michael Adams
recently told the Athens Banner-Herald that
knocking down historic dormitories to put
up new ones has reached such a parity in
cost with renovation as to warrant seriously
considering demolition and replacement.
What fascinates me about this is that the his
toric dorms in question (Payne, Milledge and
Rutherford halls) are part of the inspiration for
the East Campus Village. The concept behind
East Campus and other improvements to the
southern reaches of the campus has been to
extend the qualities of North Campus to less
attractive areas. Structures such as Payne and
Milledge are the historic precedents which
informed the planning of that new version of
campus. Any more new housing that goes up
is likely to follow that model’ the notion of
new buildings inspired by slightly less new
buildings and built on the site of the origi
nals is bizarre.
V Welcome to Wherever: Next up, we h'ave
our charming little airfield out on the way to
Winterville. When the long-awaited Learjet
carrying international bio-tech tycoons arrives
on the tarmac, what will they see? Ben* Epps
Airport's new terminal is being designed right
now, to be built with money from SPLOST
2005. This building will serve as a gateway
into the community, not just for would-be
factory-builders, but for everyone who would
fly here to visit, and might spread a nice word
or two about their
trip afterward. The
people overseeing
the design process
are aware of the
importance of first
impressions, and
want a building
that represents
the community to
new arrivals. Eric
Orbock, chair of
the terminal design
sub-committee, said
the team designing
the building was
pointed towards
UGA's newer build
ings and downtown
Athens for architec
tural inspiration.
Even disregard
ing the fact that
the architects were
sent into a bustling
city and campus to find out how to design a
building that will be seen across a pastoral
field, the results were quite disappointing.
According to Orbock, "The design presented
so far in no way reflects the guidance given
for the new terminal by the building sub
committee. Nothing in this design reflects the
character of Athens." I disagree with Orbock. I
see Coile Middle School and Cedar Shoals High
School and our fire stations, and every other
piece of bland architecture we've built in the
last 20 years. We shouldn't see this awful
design as something merely to be corrected,
but for what it really is: the interpretation of
Athens by a visitor. These folks have given us
a mirror, and we don't like what we see.
Architectural Dissonance: Athens has a lot of
great architecture, from tiny mill houses to
stately Greek Revival mansions; from beautiful
storefronts and collegiate halls to cotton mills
and that beautiful big Red Bam on Milledge.
(Imagine that repurposed as an airport ter
minal!) We ought to be mining that rich
legacy for inspiration. Beyond the superficial
resemblances of one lazily designed build
ing to another, there is a deeper resonance
between both of these architectural issues and
something which is an especially Athenian
experience. When our only examples for new
buildings are the previous UGA and SPLOST
buildings, what we get is the architectural
equivalent of an ear-splitting and cringe-
inducing feedback loop.
Kmn Williams aihensrising@llagpole.com
A rejected design for the new, SPLOST 2005-funded terminal at Ben Epps Airport.
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SEPTEMBER 29,2010 • FlAGPOLE.COM 7