Some architecture students have mixed feelings about their new studio space.
As construction begins on the Donald W. Reynolds School of Architecture Building, students of the school have moved to a new home on the third floor of the Advanced Technology Research Center.
The architecture building is scheduled to open fall 2009.
The Donald W. Reynolds School of Architecture Building was gutted and all educational material was moved to the third floor of the ATRC this past summer. All offices and studio spaces are now in the ATRC. The Architecture Library also moved to the ATRC on the second floor.
Randy Seitsinger, head of the school of architecture said although this is a different atmosphere, the school could not ask for a better interim solution, and it won’t affect the students’ productivity.
Scott Goodner, a fifth-year architecture student, said he still prefers the old building.
“I’m OK with the new studio space, but it isn’t the old building,” Goodner said. “We had such community, and I miss that.”
Though there are good aspects of this new studio, it is not what he wanted to deal with his last year in studio, Goodner said.
During the two-year construction process, the school will be in its current location. Sarah Needham, a third-year architecture student, said she is excited about the new building. However, she said, as soon as she becomes accustomed to the changes in the ATRC she’ll be moving into the renovated building.
“As long as they keep the plaza in front of the building I’ll be happy,” Needham said.
The fourth-year and fifth-year students will not have a chance to study in the new building. This has given some of these older students distaste about moving to the ATRC. The students said they feel like they are not welcome in the ATRC.
Some students live in the studio as if it’s a second home, while others spend minimal time there. “It (time commitment) varies throughout the curriculum,” said Seitsinger. “But, as a broad statement, I’d say that architecture is one of the most rigorous degree disciplines on campus in terms of time commitment.”
Seitsinger said he sees the building as the beginning of further growth for the School of Architecture and throughout campus.
The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation financed the building. The foundation considers programs that have a strong history in excellence, Seitsinger said. “They’re not fixing something that is broken, but they’re investing in something that is really strong and really positive and they’re helping make it better,” Seitsinger said.
Seitsinger also said he believes there is still a sense of community and camaraderie within the school that will never be lost. Chase Henninger, a fifth-year architecture student, said he feels the new surroundings aren’t too bad, but the community is not the same.
“The third-, fourth- and fifth-year students were all on the same floor in the old building, and in here (ATRC) we are all spread out and disconnected,” Henninger said.
Seitsinger said he feels that the differences are petty, and the studio spaces are nice. The school of architecture and OSU are trying to make the construction experience a comfortable process, Seitsinger said.
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