Adaptation
Huan (Sophie) Ni
Campus of the Future
Henri Bergson wrote in his book Creative Evolution
in 1907: ”There is no register, no drawer; there is not even, properly
speaking, a faculty, for a faculty works intermittently, when it will or when
it can, whilst the piling up pf the past upon the past goes on without
relaxation. In reality, the past is preserved by itself, automatically. In its
entirety, probably, it follows us at every instant; all that we have felt,
thought and willed from our earliest infancy is there, leaning over the present
which is about to join it, pressing against the portals of consciousness that
would fain leave it outside.”
The more deeply we study the nature of time, the
better we understand that duration means invention, creation of forms,
continuous elaboration of the absolutely new.
As an architecture student in University of
Michigan, we have different design projects with diverse uses. However, we
never think about how to engage the room, building, campus we study at with
emerging technology. Classroom is where students study, learn and live. Every
student with different majors have different desires for the space they work
and study. To be more specific, for architecture students, we spend most of our
time in studio and each of us needs private and quite space to design but also
a space to us to get together and to learn from each other. University of
Michigan is accepting increasing number of students every year and Architecture
department is not an exception. In the studio, there is almost no partitions
and hundreds of students are studying at the same big space. Circumstances are
changing, the room for students to study should change too. Thus, getting to know what students from each
major need is the most crucial and urgent thing to do for reinventing the room
for the campus future. After knowing the needs for students, go back to the
meaning of duration – invention, creation of forms and absolutely new. The room
should constantly change to adapt to the shifting needs for students.
Learning is not only limit to students’ own major.
To know what students in other majors are doing is also very important. Campus
is a whole. Students should not be separated by majors or by buildings. All the
buildings and the activities in the buildings should collaborate. As a result, designing an exhibition space for
all students to come and gather may let them get more collaborate with other.
In addition, each building can have a shared space for students from other
majors to come and share the facilities there. Moreover, more diverse
facilities in one building is also crucial. Library may not be a single
building. It can be divided and be put into each building. Then, students will
have a chance to go to other students’ building. Thus, it gives opportunities
for students to get to know each other and make the campus as a whole.
Just as Bergson indicates in his book: the piling up
of the past upon the past goes on without relaxation. Everything is constantly
changing, so we need to always adapt to the present circumstances and always
not afraid to be innovative and to create something absolutely new.
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