The American Campus began in 1817 with Thomas Jefferson
creating what he described as an “academic village”. It was in the same year
that the University of Michigan was established. An insightful comment that
must be mentioned here is by John Davis Pierce, Michigan’s first superintendent
of public schools, who is recorded to have said, “that a University did not
consist in buildings, but in the number and ability of its Professors, and in
its other appointments…” (Hinsdale, 1906) It is worth reminding
ourselves that the primary purpose of a university is to serve as a community
of teachers and scholars. Seen as an ‘academic village’, it is only as good as its
villagers.
In order to boost the spirit of community amongst its inhabitants,
a University would benefit by promoting the sense of ownership felt towards its
built environment. It is natural human instinct to customize the space
inhabited. It can be seen in the subtle act of turning a chair before sitting on
it, even when the chair is perfectly placed. And it is also evidenced in the
more elaborate arrangements of furniture, food, and festivals, which one brings
with them into the space they occupy. However monkish its subjects, they are a
diverse group spanning people of different age-groups, races, nationalities,
and most importantly—fields of study. The people must be given the ability to
customize their surroundings, and develop a sense of community and belonging.
This proposal presents a solution for the use of campus
infrastructure to serve as a second layer of personalization and information. With
the help of projection technologies, the University could adapt its building
facades to provide torrents of information, and personalized content by virtue
of having a wide canvas that lights up in the evenings. Allowing users the
freedom to control the content gives them agency in influencing the dynamic look
of the campus.
The University’s buildings have much to make up for. Even if
one were to look back a hundred years ago, one would find a similar sentiment
echoed in the Michigan Alumnus, from 1921, which reads:
It
must be acknowledged that whatever Michigan may boast in the university world,
architectural distinction has not been her strongest point. We have many useful
buildings and a few that are beautiful as well, but we need more that are both.
The two requirements are by no means antagonistic. … Michigan has a marvelous
opportunity to change, almost overnight, its whole architectural setting. (Mayer, 2015)
It is time to take the University a step further. To give it
a setting it rightfully deserves. The American University must live up to the
quality described by Le Corbusier, of being akin to a temporary paradise, a
world in itself. (Le Corbusier, 1964)
Hinsdale, B. A. (1906). History of the University
of Michigan, with biographical sketches of regents and members of the
University Senate from 1837 to 1906. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan
Press.
Le Corbusier. (1964). When the Cathedrals Were
White. McGraw-Hill.
Mayer, F. W. (2015). A Setting for Excellence.
Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
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