Week 2 - The Axis of Campus

    For my first day of class, we took a walk from the South quad to the northernmost buildings. We discussed a few different buildings and areas, but mostly focused on the "Axis" of campus. The axis runs North to South, and shifts in the different sections of campus. In the South Quad, the axis is the farthest West. It starts from the center of Temple Hoyne Buell Hall, and passes David Kinley Hall. It is the West path of the South Quad.

    We then reach what many would consider the main part of the axis, which is the Main Quad. Here it shifts over just a bit East, right by the Undergraduate library. This is the most heavily frequented area, and also the heart of campus. One would have hoped that the newer buildings and expanding quads could have followed this part of the axis.

    Next, we traveled up into my hometown, engineering. The John Bardeen Quad, also known as the Engineering Quad, takes another shift East. The axis actually emerges from where the Union is located. As you head even farther North, you actually experience another shift. The farthest North Quad, with the Beckman Institute, starts it's axis from the Northern doors of Grainger Library.

    So why does this matter? What did I take away from it? Well, this is a classic example of a growing campus and set of many architects working. When looking at a single section of campus, the buildings and styles tend to work well together and have a pattern. However, as the university has grown at such a rate and used so many different architects, some shifts have occurred. Personally, as an engineer, I like when things all line up. However, this specific instance does not bother me much, and I am just glad that I can quickly get through campus, whether it is by foot or bus.